Elevation of salivary melatonin levels by viewing a humorous film in patients with atopic eczema.

摘要

Patients with atopic eczema (AE) frequently suffer from sleep disturbance generated by itching and/or mental stress . Although melatonin is involved in sleep, only one study has reported about reduction of plasma melatonin levels in adults with AE . However, there were no reports on melatonin regulation in children with AE. Melatonin production is reduced by stress, while IFN-y increases melatonin production . In AE patients, IFN-7 production was low compared to those in healthy subjects. Stress further decreased the IFN-7 production, while viewing humorous film counteracted stress-induced decrease in IFN-7 production . It was reported that salivary melatonin levels were correlated with plasma melatonin levels . Therefore, we studied the effect of viewing humorous film on salivary melatonin and IFN-7 levels, and sleep disturbance in children with AE.