Leukocyte adherence in atopic dermatitis: diminished responses to histamine and isoproterenol.

Leukocyte adherence was examined in atopic and normal subjects and the influence of histamine and the beta-adrenergic agonist, isoproterenol, evaluated. Atopics included patients with mild to severe atopic dermatitis and patients with asthma and hayfever. No inter-group differences in leukocyte adherence of untreated leukocytes could be demonstrated, but there was a significantly smaller histamine and isoproterenol effect on the adherence of cells from patients with atopic dermatitis and hayfever. The induced inhibition of leukocyte adherence by histamine could be blocked by the H-2 histamine receptor antagonist, metiamide, suggesting that this effect may be mediated via cAMP. Our findings support the hypothesis that atopic dermatitis patients may have a defect or blockade of their cellular response to histamine.