title: Epicutaneous patch test results in patients with allergic contact dermatitis in Karlovac county--a retrospective survey.
abstract: During the 1994-2003 study period, patch testing was carried out in 1102 subjects (740 female and 362 male, mean age 39.8, range 7-81 years) suspected to have allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). Epicutaneous patch test with a standard series of contact allergens was made by the Institute of Immunology, Zagreb, Croatia, according to the Internationational Contact Dermatitis Research Group (ICDRG) rules. During the study period, 399 (36.2%) subjects with one or more positive tests were recorded, and 640 positive tests were observed. The most frequent allergens were nickel sulfate identified in 214 (33.4%), cobalt chloride in 64 (10%), fragrance mix in 60 (9.4%), wood tar in 47 (7.3%), potassium dichromate in 39 (6.1%), balsam of Peru in 29 (4.6%) and other allergens in 187 (29.2%) cases. According to the localization of ACD, hands as the most common site were involved in 535 (48.5%) cases, followed by the face in 167 (15.2%) and other locations in 400 (36.3%) cases. It is concluded that nickel is the principal allergen as the cause of ACD, mostly affecting women. The areas most frequently involved by ACD were the hands and face.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Karlovac General Hospital, A. Stampara 3, HR-47000 Karlovac, Croatia. ilko.kuljanac@ka.t-com.hr
authors.forename: Ilko
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kuljanac
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Knezević
authors.forename: Hrvoje
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cvitanović
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000485:Allergens / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002648:Child; D017523:Croatia; D017449:Dermatitis, Allergic Contact / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010328:Patch Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens