title: Contact sensitivity to chlorhexidine?
abstract: In a joint study, 2061 patients (1346 women and 715 men) were patch tested with chlorhexidine gluconate 1% in water, included in a standard test series. 48 patients (2.3%) showed a positive reaction. These were relatively more common in men (3.2%) than in women (1.9%). Positive reactions were most common in patients with leg eczema (6.8%) or leg ulcer (10.9%). Of the 48 patients who were patch test positive, 14 (2 with leg ulcer) were retested with chlorhexidine gluconate 0.01 and 1%. Only one with a leg ulcer was positive. These findings indicate that false positive reactions, known as "the excited skin syndrome", may arise from testing eczema patients in a standard series. The sensitizing potential of chlorhexidine may be very low, but the potential in patients with an eczema or ulcer of the leg has to be further evaluated.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002710:Chlorhexidine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003877:Dermatitis, Contact / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010328:Patch Tests; D012883:Skin Ulcer / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D002710:Chlorhexidine