SKIN REACTIVITY TO SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE IN PATIENTS WITH RESPIRATORYATOPY

Background: No literature data are available on the skin reactivity of patients with respiratory atopy alone. Objective: Our purpose was to assess skin reactivity to detergents in patients with allergic asthma, rhinitis, or bath. Methods: The skin of the volar aspect of the forea rm of 19 subjects with allergic asthma or rhinitis (or both) was chall enged with a single exposure to 0.5% sodium lauryl sulfate. The skin r esponse was evaluated by transepidermal water loss (TEWL), capacitance , and echogenicity measurements. Results were compared with those obta ined in 19 patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) and 20 healthy subject s. Results: In patients with AD preexposure TEWL values were higher th an in healthy subjects, whereas capacitance values were lower. In this patient group, postexposure TEWL, capacitance, and echogenicity value s showed more pronounced variations than in healthy subjects. Converse ly, in patients with allergic asthma or rhinitis (or both), both basel ine and post-exposure TEWL, capacitance, and echogenicity values were similar to those in healthy subjects. Conclusion: Patients with respir atory atopy without AD do not have the functional abnormalities charac teristic of skin affected by AD, either under baseline conditions or a fter exposure to sodium lauryl sulfate.