Enhancement of allergic skin wheal responses in patients with atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome by playing video games or by a frequently ringing mobile phone.
Kimata H. · 2003
View Original AbstractMobile phone ringing significantly worsened allergic reactions in eczema patients but had no effect on healthy people, revealing heightened EMF sensitivity in compromised immune systems.
Plain English Summary
Researchers studied how mobile phone ringing and video game playing affected allergic reactions in people with eczema compared to healthy individuals. They found that both activities significantly worsened allergic skin reactions and increased stress-related chemicals in the blood, but only in patients with atopic eczema. This suggests that electromagnetic stress from technology may specifically aggravate symptoms in people who already have compromised immune systems.
Why This Matters
This study reveals an important vulnerability that affects millions of people with eczema and atopic dermatitis. What makes this research particularly significant is that it demonstrates how EMF exposure doesn't affect everyone equally - those with already compromised immune systems appear to be disproportionately sensitive. The study shows that even brief exposure to ringing mobile phones (just 30 minutes) was enough to trigger measurable increases in allergic responses and stress hormones in eczema patients, while having no effect on healthy individuals. This selective sensitivity pattern appears repeatedly in EMF research and suggests that regulatory standards based on healthy adults may not protect vulnerable populations. If you or a family member struggles with eczema or other immune-related conditions, this research indicates you may want to be particularly mindful of your EMF exposure levels.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
The aim of this study is to investigate Enhancement of allergic skin wheal responses in patients with atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome by playing video games or by a frequently ringing mobile phone.
(1). In the video game study, normal subjects (n = 25), patients with allergic rhinitis (n = 25) or ...
Playing video games had no effect on the normal subjects or the patients with allergic rhinitis. In ...
Playing video games enhanced allergic responses with a concomitant increased release of substance P, vasoactive intestinal peptide and nerve growth factor, and skewing of the cytokine pattern toward Th2 type in the patients with atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome. In addition, exposure to frequently ringing mobile phones also enhanced allergic responses with a concomitant increased release of substance P, vasoactive intestinal peptide and nerve growth factor Collectively, high technology causes stress, which in turn may aggravate symptoms of atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome.
Show BibTeX
@article{h._2003_enhancement_of_allergic_skin_2288,
author = {Kimata H.},
title = {Enhancement of allergic skin wheal responses in patients with atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome by playing video games or by a frequently ringing mobile phone.},
year = {2003},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12795649/},
}