THE SKIN AND THE GUT IN PSORIASIS - THE NUMBER OF MAST-CELLS AND CD3-CELLS IN THE DUODENUM( LYMPHOCYTES IS INCREASED IN NONINVOLVED SKIN AND CORRELATED TO THE NUMBER OF INTRAEPITHELIAL LYMPHOCYTES AND MAST)
G. Michaelsson et al., THE SKIN AND THE GUT IN PSORIASIS - THE NUMBER OF MAST-CELLS AND CD3-CELLS IN THE DUODENUM( LYMPHOCYTES IS INCREASED IN NONINVOLVED SKIN AND CORRELATED TO THE NUMBER OF INTRAEPITHELIAL LYMPHOCYTES AND MAST), Acta dermato-venereologica, 77(5), 1997, pp. 343-346
The aim of this work was to study tryptase + mast cells and CD3 + T ly
mphocytes in non-involved skin in psoriasis and their possible relatio
n to mast cells and lymphocytes in the duodenal mucosa, Skin biopsy sp
ecimens were obtained from 43 patients with psoriasis of variable seve
rity and from 10 healthy subjects, Compared with the reference subject
s, the number of mast cells in non-involved skin was clearly increased
, most markedly in the papillary dermis, The increase was present both
in mild, moderate and severe psoriasis. CD3+ lymphocytes were increas
ed in noninvolved skin in moderate and severe psoriasis. Patients with
an increased number of duodenal intraepithelial lymphocytes had signi
ficantly more mast cells in non-involved skin than those without such
an increase, and there was a significant correlation between the numbe
r of mast cells in noninvolved skin and score for intraepithelial lymp
hocytes, However, when the 14 patients with increased intraepithelial
duodenal lymphocytes were excluded - as they may represent a separate
type of psoriasis - another type of correlation between the skin and t
he duodenal mucosa was found, namely a highly significant inverse corr
elation between the number of CD3+ lymphocytes in non-involved skin an
d the number of duodenal mast cells, which is highly elevated in psori
asis, The results might indicate an interplay between skin and intesti
nal mast cells and lymphocytes in a hitherto unknown way.