Plasminogen activators and antiplasmin activity in atopic dermatitis.

Cutaneous deposits of fibrinogen activity in lesional skin, plasmatic fibrinolytic activity, and antiplasmin activity (alpha 2 macroglobulin, alpha 1 antitrypsin and antithrombin III) were evaluated in a group of ten patients with atopic dermatitis and in a sex- and age-matched control group. Plasma fibrinolytic activity was increased in the acute phase of the disease (p less than 0.05). The levels of circulating antiplasmins appeared similar in the patients and the control group. Cutaneous fibrinolytic activity was increased in the acute phase of the disease in 5 of 5 cases, suggesting a role of the fibrinolytic system in the amplification of the inflammatory phenomenon in that phase of the disease. In the chronic lichenified phase, CFA was decreased in 3 of 5 cases leading to an excessive deposit of fibrin in the skin. This could be correlated with the abnormal vascular response (blanching phenomenon). On the basis of these data, the therapeutic use of the antifibrinolytic agents only seems rational in the acute phase of the disease.