title: Papular dermatitis and a persistent patch test reaction to gold sodium thiosulfate.
abstract: The role of gold in allergic contact dermatitis is poorly understood and is a subject of increasing interest. Recent studies demonstrate that gold-positive patch testing is not uncommon, but persistent patch test reactions are rarely reported. We present a case of a 53-year-old woman with a 7-year history of a scattered, pruritic papular dermatitis. Patch testing demonstrated a persistent, positive reaction to gold sodium thiosulfate. The histopathology of the patch test site and that of the cutaneous eruption were similar in nature but differing in severity. No other allergens have been identified, but gold avoidance has not yet resulted in the clearing of her eruption. This case underscores the difficulty in making a clinical correlation despite suggestive clinical pathologic evidence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Brian R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Sperber
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Allee
authors.forename: Rosalie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Elenitsas
authors.forename: William D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: James
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017449:Dermatitis, Allergic Contact / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D012971:Gold Sodium Thiosulfate / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010328:Patch Tests
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D012971:Gold Sodium Thiosulfate