BASE-LINE TRANSEPIDERMAL WATER-LOSS IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE AND HEALEDIRRITANT CONTACT-DERMATITIS

To examine the skin barrier function of patients with acute and healed irritant contact dermatitis (n=80) baseline transepidermal water loss (TEWL) was quantitatively measured using an evaporimeter. Healthy sub jects served as controls (n=40). Test areas were the forearm and the t high. A significant increase in TEWL was observed in the patients with acute and with healed irritant contact dermatitis (ICD) as compared t o healthy volunteers (P less than or equal to 0.01). TEWL values in bo th test areas were comparable and markedly correlated (P less than or equal to 0.01) with each other in every group. Thus, it is possible th at basal TEWL depends more on the intrinsic skin barrier function of t he subjects rather than the 2 anatomical regions examined. TEWL at the forearm with acute ICD was significantly higher (P less than or equal to 0.01) than that of the group with healed ICD, but not for TEWL at the thigh suggesting that ICD may aggravate the barrier function of th e adjacent uninvolved skin. It is assumed, that increased basal TEWL i n patients with ICD may reflect a constitutional deviation of epiderma l barrier function. This event seems to be comparable with the well-kn own symptom of atopic individuals. Using a detailed atopic scoring sys tem in such a study may clarify the question of whether a proportion o f patients with hand ICD may indeed be atopic individuals.