title: Genetic susceptibility to occupational contact dermatitis.
abstract: Contact dermatitis (CD) is one of the most prevalent work-related diseases, often resulting in an impaired quality of life and a loss of work ability. CD can be divided into allergic (ACD) and irritant contact dermatitis (ICD). Although skin exposure is a prerequisite for the development of CD, there is substantial evidence that under similar exposure conditions some individuals are more prone to acquiring CD than others. Recently, a number of studies have investigated the link between individual susceptibility to CD and variations in the genes that are involved in the maintenance of the skin barrier, inflammatory response and biotransformation. The most important development has been the discovery that loss-of-function mutations in the gene encoding the epidermal protein filaggrin increase the risk for ICD and for nickel sensitization and nickel ACD, emphasizing the importance of the skin barrier in the pathophysiology of CD. Among the inflammatory genes, a TNFA-308 G/A polymorphism has been shown to associate with susceptibility to both ICD and ACD. In studies specifically for ACD, polymorphisms in genes encoding N-acetyltransferases were shown to modify the risk for sensitization to p-phenylenediamine. Although recent studies have identified a number of biologically plausible susceptibility genes, the predictive value of these genetic markers is too low for the reasonable selection of susceptible individuals in occupational health practice. Additional studies in larger cohorts with well-defined disease phenotypes and appropriate control population are needed to confirm and extend our knowledge of the impact of genetic variations on the susceptibility to occupational CD.
authors.affiliation: Coronel Institute of Occupational Health, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. s.kezic@amc.uva.nl
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kezic
mesh_terms: D000123:Acetyltransferases / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D001711:Biotransformation; D017449:Dermatitis, Allergic Contact / Q000235:genetics*; D017453:Dermatitis, Irritant / Q000235:genetics*; D009783:Dermatitis, Occupational / Q000235:genetics*; D000091344:Filaggrin Proteins; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000502:physiology; D009154:Mutation; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic
chemical_list: C000717249:FLG protein, human; D000091344:Filaggrin Proteins; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D000123:Acetyltransferases