THE SWEAT OF PATIENTS WITH ATOPIC-DERMATITIS CONTAINS SPECIFIC IGE ANTIBODIES TO INHALANT ALLERGENS

We have investigated levels of total and specific IgE against inhalant allergens in the sweat of 15 patients with atopic dermatitis, 10 pati ents with allergic rhinitis and high levels of specific IgE in the ser um, and five patients with psoriasis without atopy as controls, by mea ns of various commercial methods such as fluorescence immunoassay, nep helometry, chemiluminescence assay, enzyme immunoassay and the radioal lergosorbent test. Total IgE and specific IgE antibodies were detectab le in the sweat of patients with atopic dermatitis as well as of patie nts with allergic rhinitis alone. These levels of total IgE in the swe at correlated with the severity of the skin disease (P < 0.05). By mea ns of the Ciba Coming assay (P < 0.001), the fluorescence immunoassay (P < 0.05) and the nephelometry assay (P < 0.05), positive correlation s were then established between the levels of total IgE in the serum a nd the sweat. Moreover, specific IgE antibodies to birch pollen and De rmatophagoides pteronyssinus were detectable in the sweat and correlat ed positively with these specific IgE levels in the serum (P < 0.05). Further, the specific IgE levels against these allergens in the sweat also correlated with the severity of dermatitis (P < 0.05). It is sugg ested that these specific IgE antibodies against certain inhalant alle rgens in the sweat of patients with atopic dermatitis may play a role in allergen trapping in the skin.