On Epinephrine Tests in Skin Diseases

cases at intervals of 2,3 davs showed the following results : Results -50% and above (+), and -49% or less (-) a) 22 cases of uniform results (59.5%) (-) in both tests ........................... 5 (+) in both tests ........................... 17 b) 15 cases of discrepant results (40.5%) (+) in ACTH test and (-) in epinephrine test......... 2 (-) in ACTH test and (+) in epinephrine test......... 13 Lohmeyer and Husselman1) made both tests in 32 cases and obtained uniform results in 17 and discrepant results in 15, and were led to express very skeptic views on the clinical value of epinephrine tests. In Japan also, Ohmori2) and Abe observed similar results and has given their doubts on the reliability of epinephrine tests. The author's results seem to agree with the results obtained by Lohmyer et al. at a glance, but upon more detailed examinations they can bring opposite conclusions. That is : 1) The rate of average decrease of the eosinophils in 37 cases amounted to -32% upon ACTH tests and to -40% following epinephrine tests, the latter being more marked. 2) The percentage of decrease upon epinephrine tests were below those upon ACTH tests in 8 cases only, in all the other 29 cases the epinephrine tests giving always higher ratio of decrease than that of ACTH. 3) Among the cases of discrepant results, only 2 cases showed (-) upon epinephrine test and (+) upon ACTH tests but in the other 13 cases showed normal values upon epinephrine testw but (+) upon ACTH tests. This, if the percentage of decrease of eosinophils alone is considered, epinephrine eosinopenia is more apparent than ACTH eosinopenia, it is generally safe to assume that cases showing (-) results upon epinephrine tests will give negative results upon ACTH tests too. From the above, it is