title: Bronchial hyper-responsiveness in atopic dermatitis.
abstract: Most patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) have symptoms of asthma at some point in their lives, but some do not have any clinical evidence of asthma. Thirty-two patients with AD who had never suffered from bronchial asthma were investigated by the methacholine inhalation test for the presence of bronchial hyper-responsiveness (BHR). Serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels, mite specific IgE antibody, peripheral eosinophil counts, serum levels of eosinophil cationic proteins (ECP), and serum levels of major basic proteins (MBP) were determined and a skin test to acetylcholine and adrenaline was performed. The percentage of cases who showed BHR (minimum dose; Dmin < 50 units) was 31.3% in AD patients and 19.0% in 21 healthy controls. In those cases, Dmin of methacholine in AD was significantly lower than that in the controls (P < 0.01). Serum MBP levels were significantly higher in AD with BHR than in those without it (P < 0.05). These results indicate that some AD patients without asthma have BHR, and it may be related to serum MBP levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Doai Memorial Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miyabayashi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D016535:Bronchial Hyperreactivity; D001985:Bronchial Provocation Tests; D016085:Bronchoconstrictor Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016210:Methacholine Chloride
chemical_list: D001798:Blood Proteins; D016085:Bronchoconstrictor Agents; D016210:Methacholine Chloride