title: Airborne formaldehyde causes skin barrier dysfunction in atopic dermatitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It remains to be elucidated whether exposure to air pollutants aggravates atopic dermatitis (AD).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to evaluate the effects of exposure to formaldehyde for 1 h and 2 h on skin barrier function in both the control and the AD groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 41 patients with AD and 34 healthy children, a provocation test was performed in which two different areas of normal-appearing skin on the forearm were stimulated with airborne formaldehyde at 500 μg m(-3) or placebo for 2 h. We measured transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and skin pH, and calculated the percentage change from baseline.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Exposure to formaldehyde increased TEWL in the control group [P < 0·001; median of difference 1·4; interquartile range (IQR) 0·9-1·6] and in the AD group (P < 0·001; median of difference 2·5; IQR 2·0-3·6). The percentage change of TEWL after formaldehyde exposure in the AD group was higher than in the control group (P < 0·001), whereas exposure to placebo showed no differences between both groups. The AD group also demonstrated a higher percentage increase in skin pH after exposure to formaldehyde than the control group (P < 0·001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Short-term exposure to formaldehyde causes skin barrier dysfunction in both healthy children and children with AD, and this effect is more prominent in children with AD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Samsung Medical Centre, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 81 Irwon-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 135-710, Korea.|Environmental Health Centre for Atopic Diseases, Samsung Medical Centre, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Centre for Atopic Diseases, Samsung Medical Centre, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics Team, Samsung Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics Team, Samsung Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Samsung Medical Centre, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 81 Irwon-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 135-710, Korea.
authors.forename: S I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Korea Institute of Toxicology, Jeongeup, Jeollabuk-do, Korea.
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Samsung Medical Centre, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 81 Irwon-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 135-710, Korea.|Environmental Health Centre for Atopic Diseases, Samsung Medical Centre, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ahn
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D005542:Forearm; D005557:Formaldehyde / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008297:Male; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena / Q000187:drug effects*; D012882:Skin Tests / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D014870:Water Loss, Insensible / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D005557:Formaldehyde