[Routine immunologic tests in atopic dermatitis]

The study comprised 100 examinees with atopic dermatitis and 50 examinees with chronic urticaria (adult patients and children), as well as 50 examinees in a control group. The parameters for monitoring included laboratory findings; values of eosinophiles, total lymphocytes, T and B lymphocytes, serum immunoglobulin (IgG, IgA, IgM) total IgE and specific IgE; results of cutaneous tests: prick and intradermal test to inhalative and nutritive allergens, scratch test to preservatives and additives, and epicutaneous (patch) test to contact allergens. In detection and monitoring of patients with atopic dermatitis, several methods were applied with different diagnostic success. The values of total number of lymphocytes and T and B lymphocytes were mainly within the normal limits, therefore these were not good diagnostic parameters. Eosinophiles were mainly higher and were useful in determination of AD. Mainly normal values of IgE, IgA and IgM were found by radial immunodiffusion, but the ELISA method, as well as the RIST method, showed high values of total IgE. Of the applied skin tests, the most important was intradermal test which gave most of the positive results in the patients with atopic dermatitis (97.7%), then followed scratch test (83.3%), patch test (64.3%), and finally epicutaneous test (57.1%).