title: 'Angry back syndrome': a non-reproducible phenomenon.
abstract: The term 'angry back syndrome' (ABS) was coined by Mitchell in 1975. It was stated that a strong positive patch test reaction could create an 'angry back' which becomes hyper-reactive to other patch test challenges. The present study investigated whether the ABS is a generalized state of hyper-reactivity of skin, whether it is a localized hyper-reactivity of skin, i.e. only in the close proximity to a strong patch test reaction, whether it is an individual specific phenomenon and if ABS is a reproducible phenomenon. The studies failed to demonstrate any generalized or localized change in the reactivity of the skin. This left the possibility that ABS might be a rare, and individual-specific phenomenon. However, even in the subjects who had previously been diagnosed as having ABS we failed to reproduce the angry back.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Liverpool, U.K.
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Memon
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Friedmann
mesh_terms: D001415:Back; D006801:Humans; D006969:Hypersensitivity, Immediate / Q000276:immunology*; D009532:Nickel; D010328:Patch Tests / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012867:Skin / Q000276:immunology*; D013577:Syndrome
chemical_list: D009532:Nickel