ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The rhus has been known to be such a potent allergen that it causes severe contact dermatitis, and mary studies have tried to reveal the mechanism of allergic contact. dermatitis to urushiol. However, the mechanism of systemic contact dermatitis to urushiol is not, well-known, though the consumption of rhus as a health product and for desensitization is not unconmon in Korea. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the niechanism of systernic contact dermatis, and we carried out irnmunohistochemical stainings un the two strands of dermatitis (systemic arid,llergic contact dermatitis). METHODS: The patients of systemir, contact dermatitis were divided into three groups by duration and severity of the illness according to the desired criteria. We perfor med immunohistor,hernical staining of the tissues from the patients with anti CD4, CD8, CDla, ICAM-1, IL-2R monoclorial antibodies. RESULTS: 1. The results were as follows. 1. The immunohistochemical staining showed that CD8 positive cell numbers in systemic contact dermatitis(18+/-10) were significantly lower than those of allergic contact der matitis(37 +/- 13) ( p0.05). CONCLUSION: The result suggest that lower numbers of CDH positive T cell in systemic contact dermatitis caused a reduation in the suppressor effect to the urushiol mediated immune rection and CD8 positive T cells play an important role in systemic contact dermatitis due to rhus.