title: Decreased skin reactivity to codeine in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
abstract: To evaluate the skin reactivity and the mast cell releasibility in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), 24 patients with AIDS were skin tested with histamine (1 mg/ml) and codeine phosphate (0.9, 0.09, and 0.009 mg/ml), a mast cell degranulating agent. They were compared to 12 HIV-negative healthy volunteers and 16 urticaria-prone subjects. Reactivity to codeine phosphate was lower in patients with AIDS than in HIV-negative subjects. This difference in skin reactivity was the more significant when the AIDS group was compared to the urticaria-prone group. There was no correlation between the reactivity to codeine and the IgE levels. Possible explanations to the decreased skin reacting to codeine in patients with AIDS include a decrease of local mast cell density or releasibility. This suggests that a mechanism related to urticaria and involving mast cells is quite unlikely to be at the origin of the hypersensitivity reactions observed in AIDS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Erasme Hospital, University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: T h
authors.initials: Th
authors.lastname: Simonart
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Parent
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heenen
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Farber
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Van Vooren
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology*; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015550:Cell Degranulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D003061:Codeine / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000494:pharmacology; D004342:Drug Hypersensitivity / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006632:Histamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D007428:Intradermal Tests; D008297:Male; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012867:Skin / Q000276:immunology*; D014581:Urticaria / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D006632:Histamine; D003061:Codeine