Baseline water loss and cholinergic sweat stimulation in atopic dermatitis: a gravimetric measurement of local skin water loss

✍ Scribed by M. U. Parkkinen; R. Kiistala; U. Kiistala

• Publisher: Springer-Verlag
• Year: 1991
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 481 KB
• Volume: 283
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0340-3696
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00371820

✦ Synopsis

The sweat gland function in atopic dermatitis (AD) and in respiratory atopy is a matter of controversy. We examined the baseline water loss and local sweating response in non-eczematous back skin of 146 young men: pure AD, AD with rhinitis/asthma, rhinitis/asthma alone, non-atopic dermatosis and non-atopic healthy. All AD subjects were further divided into the subgroups AD dry and AD normal skin. Following injections of saline and a high concentration of methacholine (5 x 104 mol/1) into separate sites the moisture losses were collected into closed pads over a period of 40 min. The baseline water loss was significantly increased (P < 0.001) and median pure sweat loss was significantly decreased (P < 0.01) in AD compared with nonatopic healthy individuals. These trends were accentuated in AD dry skin. Respiratory symptoms had no appreciable influence on results. A depressed sweating response occurred in 30% of AD subjects and 9% of non-AD subjects. An elevated baseline water loss value and a depressed sweat loss value coexisted in 22% of subjects with AD dry skin compared with 3% of the non-atopics.