Immunological studies in patients with alopecia receiving dinitrochlorobenzene and cimetidine therapy

Twenty-one patients with alopecia were screened for the immune reactivity of their peripheral blood lymphocytes. Generally, patients had only eczematous reactions when rather strong solutions of dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) were applied. One-third of the patients had lymphocytes with in vitro reactivity towards dinitrofluorobenzene-albumin in a lymphocyte transformation test. The percentage of T lymphocyte subpopulations in blood was normal, together with a normal in vitro function after mitogen and antigen stimulation. Six of the patients were treated with 1 g cimetidine daily for 6 weeks. We could not find clinical or immunological changes during the therapy. The findings are discussed in relation to other immunological studies of patients with alopecia and the eventual effect of cimetidine on the immune system.