title: Acetylator phenotype in Iraqi patients with allergic contact dermatitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few studies have been done on acetylator status in ACD. This study determined acetylator status in Iraqi patients with allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) in comparison to a matched control group.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 35 ACD patients and 67 healthy volunteers. The ACD patients were diagnosed clinically and the diagnosis was confirmed by patch test. A detailed history wastaken from the patients. After an overnight fast, each control subject and each patient received a single oral dose of 100 mg of dapsone. A blood sample was collected after 3 hours and plasma was separated for determiination of dapsone and monoacetyldapsone by HPLC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-six of the 35 ACD patients returned for follow up. The frequency of slow acetylators in healthy individuals was 71.6%, while the frequency of rapid acetylators was 28.4%. The frequency of slow acetylators in ACD patients was 60.0% while the frequency of rapid acetylators was 40.0%. There was no association between the acetylator status, personal history of allergy, patch-test positivity or sites of dermatitis in ACD patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A rapid acetylator status might predispose to ACD, but does not seem to influence other features of the disease.
authors.affiliation: University of Baghdad, Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, Iraq. rafidnajim@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Rafid A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Najim
authors.forename: Makram
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-waizt
authors.forename: Rafi A M
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Al-Razzuqi
mesh_terms: D000107:Acetylation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003622:Dapsone; D017449:Dermatitis, Allergic Contact / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007493:Iraq; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D003622:Dapsone