Effects of adrenergic agonists and antagonists on immediate cutaneous reactions in bronchial asthma.

Asthmatic patients who showed an allergic skin reaction to house-dust antigen (HD) were injected intradermally with a mixture of HD and a various dose of isoproterenol (Isopr) or propranolol (Propr). In some cases Isopr clearly suppressed the formation of the wheal, but in some others Isopr did not much affect the allergic skin reaction. Also Propr increased markedly the skin reaction of some patients, or had little effect on it. The sensitivity of the skin of asthmatic patients to these drugs was closely correlated with the general response of the patients to adrenaline, such as changes in heart rate, diastolic blood pressure, blood glucose level, and blood triglyceride level.