Airway responsiveness in atopic dermatitis.

Abstract

Twelve of 123 patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) were screened by questionnaire and spirometry for the absence of smoking, hay fever, and respiratory disorders. Seven of these 12 patients had a positive methacholine challenge test. None of eight patients with another skin disorder, psoriasis, screened in a similar fashion, had a positive methacholine challenge. We conclude that hyperresponsive airways are a frequent finding in patients with AD and that similar mechanisms may account for the cutaneous physiologic and pharmacologic abnormalities that have been observed in AD.