engleski

Contact allergy in sociodemography feature

The study was to determine the frequency of positive patch test reaction to different contact allergens according to patient’ s age, sex, occupation and clinical features. Between 1999 and 2003, patch testing was performed in 3293 patients with respective clinical diagnoses: allergic contact dermatitis, contact irritant dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis vulgaris, seborrhoeic dermatitis and other inflammatory dermatoses. Patch testing was done by the standard technique proposed by the International Contact Dermatitis Research Group (ICDRG).Study results showed statistically significant differences in patch test response according to sex and age for three allergens (cobalt chloride, nickel sulfate and thiomersal decreased with age) ; according to occupation for nine allergens (cobalt chloride, nickel sulfate, balsam of Peru, fragrance mix, thiuram mix, wood tars, neomycin sulfate, thiomersal and detergents), and clinical diagnosis for two allergens (nickel sulfate, and wood tars). Allergic contact dermatitis prevails in all clinical diagnoses. The most common and relevant allergens were: nickel sulfate, cobalt chloride and carba mix. They were found in all examinees regardless of age, sex, occupation and diagnoses. In the five occupation categories relative risk (RR) factors were for nickel (0.18) and cobalt (0.14). The increased awareness of allergens and their potential sources may help to limit the usage of these chemicals in manufacture of consumer products.

Contact allergy; positive patch testing; allergens; occupation

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