Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Dowd, Pauline M.
• Goldsmith, Portia C.
• Chopra, Sunil
• Bull, Helen A.
• Foreman, John C.

Titel

Cutaneous Responses to Endothelin-1 and Histamine in Patients with Vibration White Finger

Ist Teil von

• Journal of investigative dermatology, 1998-02, Vol.110 (2), p.127-131

Ort / Verlag

Danvers, MA: Elsevier Inc

Erscheinungsjahr

1998

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Vibration white finger (VWF) is the episodic blanching of the fingers that occurs in response to cold in those who work with hand-held vibrating tools. Clinically the condition differs from primary Raynaud's phenomenon as persistent pain and paresthesia are common in the hands and arms and occur independently of the “white attacks.” We have previously reported a decrease in protein gene product 9.5 and calcitonin gene-related peptide-immunoreactive nerve fibers in the digital skin of individuals with VWF. In this study, we have sought to determine whether this deficit of immunoreactive sensory-motor nerves has a functional counterpart in vivo. Histamine produces a rapid wheal and flare response following intradermal injection, whereas endothelin-1 (ET-1) produces a central area of pallor with a surrounding neurogenic flare. In contrast, calcitonin gene-related peptide produces a non-neurogenic erythema. In this study, histamine and ET-1 were injected into the dorsum of the middle phalanx and the local neurovascular response was assessed by measuring the area of the visible flare or pallor. Basal finger blood flow was also measured by laser Doppler flowmetry in each of the digits prior to intradermal injection. The experiments were performed at 21°C and 4°C. Patients with VWF and asymptomatic vibration-exposed workers had significantly lower resting skin blood flow at both 21°C and 4°C than heavy manual workers with no vibration exposure. The size of the histamine- and ET-1-induced flares at both 21°C and 4°C was significantly smaller in patients with VWF when compared with the asymptomatic vibration-exposed workers and heavy manual workers. The size of the ET-1-induced pallor was smaller in patients with VWF when compared with the heavy manual workers at both 21°C and 4°C. In contrast, the area of erythema induced by intradermal injection of calcitonin gene-related peptide at both 21°C and 4°C was of a similar size in patients with VWF and in heavy manual workers. These results indicate that the neuroneal deficit identified by immunohistochemistry in the digital skin of patients with VWF has a functional counterpart in vivo and is evident as a reduced ability to propagate an axon-reflex vasodilator response when challenged with histamine and ET-1. Furthermore, these results enable patients with VWF to be differentiated from both asymptomatic vibration-exposed workers, in whom the histamine- and ET-1-induced flares are normal, and those with primary Raynaud's disease, in whom the ET-1 flare is reduced and the histamine-induced flare is normal.