title: Dependence on very hot hot-spring bathing in a refractory case of atopic dermatitis.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Kusatsu Branch Hospital, Gunma University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kubota
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Take
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kurabayashi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shirakura
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D001615:beta-Endorphin