Allergy & Clinical Immunology International - Journal of the World Allergy Organization

Research Note

Passive Smoking Enhances Allergic Skin Wheal Reponses in Patients with Atopic/Eczema Dermatitis Syndrome

Hajime Kimata

Department of Allergy, Unitika Central Hospital, 24-1, Umonji, Uji, Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture, 611-0021, Japan

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Abstract

Allergen-induced wheal responses were studied in patients with atopic/eczema dermatitis syndrome (AEDS) who were nonsmokers. The 23 patients with AEDS, who were allergic to house dust mite (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus) and Japanese cedar pollen, viewed a 1-h video featuring weather information while 8 healthy smokers smoked freely in a small room without air conditioning. Before and after 1 h, skin prick tests (SPT) were performed on patients with AEDS using commercial house dust mite and Japanese cedar pollen allergen extract. The resulting wheal responses were measured. Passive smoking significantly enhanced wheal responses induced by house dust mite and Japanese cedar pollen allergens. These results suggest that passive smoking may aggravate allergic diseases via enhancement of allergic responses.

Allergy Clin Immunol Int: J World Allergy Org, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 44-45
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