Dependence on very hot hot-spring bathing in a refractory case of atopic dermatitis.
A 21-year-old female with atopic dermatitis showed "dependence" on very hot hot-spring bathing. Her skin disease had been refractory to various treatments including steroid therapy for a long time. Without medical supervision she took four 3-minute 47 degrees C hot-spring baths daily for a month for the purpose of improving her skin symptom. Subsequently, she could not stop bathing in very hot hot-spring water of her own will. However, a month's isolation in a hospital relieved her of the situation. The mechanism of the dependence on very hot hot-spring bathing may be explained by a transient rise in the plasma beta-endorphin level due to hyperthermal stress.
Kubota
K
K
Department of Medicine, Kusatsu Branch Hospital, Gunma University School of Medicine, Japan.
Tamura
K
K
Take
H
H
Kurabayashi
H
H
Mori
M
M
Shirakura
T
T
D000328:Adult; D001452:Balneology; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000097:blood* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D013997:Time Factors; D001615:beta-Endorphin / Q000097:blood
D001615:beta-Endorphin