| Popis: |
This chapter presents an overview of immunologic aspects of both immediate and delayed hypersensitivity in the skin, and emphasizes delayed contact hypersensitivity reactions, or allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). Dermal hypersensitivity reactions are inflammatory reactions of the skin that either defend the host against pathologic agents or damage host tissue and cause disease. The inflammatory process is a general response to injury and, as such, it is not usually reflective of the various types of dermal hypersensitivity when examined by histopathology alone. Noneczematous dermal lesions can occasionally dominate eczema, especially in sensitized elderly persons who also tend to have more persistent and intractable cases of ACD. UV radiation produces some of the more profound effects on dermal hypersensitivity when compared to other physical agents. The incorporation of monoclonal antibodies into enzyme and fluorescent immunoassays has produced new diagnostic and research tools that are sensitive and specific for molecules involved in dermal hypersensitivity reactions. |
