title: Chronic actinic dermatitis: an analysis at a single institution over 25 years.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chronic actinic dermatitis (CAD) is a rare photosensitivity disorder with scant epidemiologic data.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate demographic data and results of photopatch and patch tests over a 25-year period.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective chart review of patients with CAD from 1993 to 2009.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty patients had a mean age of 57.8 years, and 27 (67.5%) were men. Twelve patients (30%) were skin types I and II, and 17 (42.5%) were skin types V and VI. Nine patients (22.5%) were younger than 50 years, and 4 of these (44.4%) were men. One of the nine patients (11.1%) was skin type I, and 4 (44.4%) were skin types V and VI. Carba mix and para-phenylenediamine were the two most commonly positive agents in patch tests. Sunscreens and plants and plant derivatives were the most commonly positive agents in photopatch tests.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest a trend of two new classes of North American patients at our institution being diagnosed with CAD-younger women with skin types IV to VI and older men with skin types I to III. We observed a greater-than-expected number of positive patch-test reactions to para-phenylenediamine. We suggest that patch testing and photopatch testing of individuals may be useful adjuncts in the assessment of CAD.
authors.affiliation: Photomedicine Section, Charles C. Harris Skin and Cancer Pavilion, Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology, New York University School of Medicine, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Syril K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Que
authors.forename: Jeremy A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Brauer
authors.forename: Nicholas A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Soter
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D010328:Patch Tests / Q000379:methods; D010787:Photosensitivity Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects; D012880:Skin Pigmentation / Q000187:drug effects