[Examination of "areas cutanea" in Yusho patients]

In the field of Dermatology, one of the representatives of oxidative stresses is ultraviolet irradiation. Repetitive ultraviolet exposure results in cutaneous photoaging. Otherwise, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) give rise to superoxide, which means Yusho patients have been affected by oxidative stress for more than thirty years. In order to examine the influence of oxidative stress by PCB to the skin, we measured the "areas cutanea" in the inner aspect of upper arm in Yusho patients and in age-matched controls. "Areas cutanea" were significantly smaller in Yusho patients than in controls. Although PCB can give an oxidative stress, the influence seemed to be little to the skin. There might be another mechanisms involved in this result except the oxidative stress by PCB. Further examination should be conducted in the future.