[Clinical evaluation of urinary leukotriene E4 levels in children with atopic dermatitis]

To evaluate the significance of peptide leukotrienes in children with atopic dermatitis, we measured urinary LTE4 levels which are thought to reflect in vivo production of peptide LTs. Urine was collected in the early morning. There was no significant difference in urinary LTE4 levels among atopic children with different severities. On the other hand, urinary LTE4 levels were significantly elevated in the patients who had severe nocturnal itches compared with the patients who had mild nocturnal itches and normal controls. These results suggested that increased production of peptide LTs may be relevant to nocturnal itch of atopic dermatitis.