[125I]-cyanopindolol (ICYP) was used in a binding assay to compare the number and affinity of beta 2-adrenoceptor binding sites on circulating polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) of 21 children with atopic dermatitis (AD) and 23 age-matched controls. We found no correlation between the beta 2-adrenoceptor density and the age of the children in either collective. Furthermore, the number and affinity of beta 2-adrenoceptor binding sites on PMN was neither influenced by sex nor severity of disease, serum IgE level or percentage of eosinophils in the differential blood count. There was a tendency towards a lower number of beta 2-adrenoceptors in AD subjects (1,429 +/- 587 receptors/PMN) compared to controls (1,753 +/- 596 receptors/PMN), but this difference was statistically not significant.