title: Permanent press allergy in an active duty U.S. Army soldier.
abstract: Ethylene urea/melamine formaldehyde resin (permanent press) is a common fabric finishing agent added to Army Combat Uniforms for a wrinkle-free appearance and to strengthen the fabric. We describe the case of an active duty U.S. Army soldier with a diffuse eczematous dermatitis in whom patch testing was used to identify an allergy to permanent press, a ubiquitous fabric finishing agent in the Army combat uniform. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of a soldier with an allergic contact dermatitis to ethylene urea/melamine formaldehyde resin. This case highlights the importance of considering the diagnosis of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with a recurrent eczematous dermatitis that does not respond appropriately to therapy and the unique occupational impact of diagnosing an Army soldier with permanent press allergy.
authors.affiliation: Wilford Hall Medical Center, 2200 Bergquist Drive, Suite 1, Lackland Air Force Base, TX 78236, USA.
authors.forename: Shelley L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Aldrich
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Murchland
authors.forename: J Scott
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Henning
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003020:Clothing / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017449:Dermatitis, Allergic Contact / Q000209:etiology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D048289:Imidazolidines / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D010328:Patch Tests; D013784:Textiles / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014227:Triazines / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D048289:Imidazolidines; D014227:Triazines; C504353:melamine formaldehyde; C004916:ethylene urea