BLOOD EOSINOPHILS, EOSINOPHIL-DERIVED PROTEINS, AND LEUKOTRIENE C-4 GENERATION IN RELATION TO BRONCHIAL HYPERREACTIVITY IN CHILDREN WITH ATOPIC-DERMATITIS

To assess the relation among eosinophil-related variables in the perip heral blood, bronchial hyperreactivity, and the presence of atopic der matitis in children aged 5-14 years, we studied 11 patients with atopi c dermatitis alone, six with asthma and atopic dermatitis, 12 with ast hma alone, and 12 healthy controls. Eosinophil counts, levels of eosin ophil cationic protein, and the capacity of eosinophils to generate le ukotriene (LT) C-4, as well as bronchial hyperreactivity and a severit y score for atopic dermatitis, were determined. Eosinophil variables w ere significantly higher in both patient groups with atopic dermatitis than in normal controls. In particular, ionophore A 23187 LTC(4) gene ration was higher in patients with atopic dermatitis alone (median 82, range 25-273 ng/10(6) cells) and patients with combined asthma and at opic dermatitis (median 68, range 32-583 ng/10(6) cells) than in norma l controls (median 9, range 1-67 ng/10(6) cells). However, there was n o difference between the group of atopic dermatitis patients with asth ma and without asthma. We conclude that eosinophil variables in the pe ripheral blood are mainly influenced by the presence of atopic dermati tis, and not the presence and the severity of asthma in patients with both asthma and atopic dermatitis.