[Disorders of thermoregulation in adaptation to external cold and heat stimuli in patients with atopic eczema].

Patients suffering from atopic eczema (AE) often exhibit disturbances of various neurovegetative (in particular, vasomotoric) skin functions. Thus, in 21 patients with AE we studied the response of the skin of one forearm to standardized 15-min exposure of the other arm to a cold and a warm bath (17 degrees-18 degrees C and 40 degrees-41 degrees C respectively). The results were compared with those in 23 age- and sex-matched healthy controls under similar environmental conditions. In most patients, during exposure of one forearm to warmth the skin temperature of the contralateral forearm remained unchanged or decreased slightly, whereas exposure to cold induced either a slight rise in skin temperature or an almost indiscernible decrease. In contrast to the normal temperature reaction of the non-exposed forearm to warmth exposure of the contralateral arm in most controls, our findings in atopic patients indicated a "rigid" or even "paradoxical" response to thermic stimuli. This abnormal pattern of thermoregulation may reflect an intrinsic disturbance of the peripheral and hypothalamic autonomous system involved in the pathogenetic conditions of AE.