Atopic dermatitis. An evaluation of clinical and laboratory findings.

These hundred seventy-two Chinese patients with atopic dermatitis were compared with a Caucasian population for the basic features. Significant findings occurred: personal or family history of atopy, early age of onset, xerosis, ichthyosis, palmar hyperlinearity, and facial pallor. Laboratory findings of immunologic alteration and altered pharmacologic reactivity are relatively more important features for the diagnosis of atopic dermatitis.