Levels of soluble ICAM-1 in atopic dermatitis. A new marker for monitoring the clinical activity?

Levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) were measured in sera from patients with an acute exacerbation of their atopic dermatitis (AD) (n = 16) on admission to and discharge from our department of dermatology. At admission, the sICAM-1 levels in sera from patients with AD were slightly higher than those of the blood donors (n = 100) and dropped at discharge significantly (P = 0.014) after improvement of the skin conditions. Therefore, sICAM-1 may be, together with soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2), eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP), and CD14, another marker for monitoring AD.