M. Magnarin et al., A ROLE FOR EOSINOPHILS IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF SKIN-LESIONS IN PATIENTS WITH FOOD-SENSITIVE ATOPIC-DERMATITIS, Journal of allergy and clinical immunology, 96(2), 1995, pp. 200-208
Background: Atopic dermatitis is associated with skin and blood eosino
philia, but the role of eosinophils in the pathogenesis of the skin le
sions is poorly understood. Methods: To determine whether eosinophils
play a role in the pathogenesis of the skin lesions in atopic dermatit
is, we studied the relationship between the severity of the disease an
d both the number and the extent of activation of eosinophils in 15 pa
tients with food-sensitive atopic dermatitis. Furthermore, this relati
onship was re-evaluated in eight of these patients who after a period
of elemental diet or total pal enteral nutrition, showed significant c
linical improvement. Results: A clear relationship was found between t
he number of light-density eosinophils and the severity of the disease
both during the active disease and after clinical improvement. Furthe
rmore, we describe an adhesion-stimulating activity for eosinophils in
patients' plasma, which does not change after recovery, Conclusions:
Taken together, these observations strongly indicate that eosinophils
play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of the skin lesions in atopic
dermatitis. In particular, the light-density phenotype seems to be an
essential feature of eosinophils involved in this process The adhesion
-promoting activity that we observed in the patients' plasma could be
important in the recruitment of eosinophils from the blood into the sk
in.