title: Cobalt sensitization and dermatitis:  considerations for the clinician.
abstract: This clinical review article presents clinical and scientific data on cobalt sensitization and dermatitis. It is concluded that cobalt despite being a strong sensitizer and a prevalent contact allergen to come up on patch testing should be regarded as a very complex metal to test with. Exposure data together with clinical data from metal workers heavily exposed to cobalt suggest that patch-test reactions are sometimes false positive and that patch testers should carefully evaluate their clinical relevance.
authors.affiliation: National Allergy Research Centre, Department of Dermato-Allergology, Copenhagen University Hospital Gentofte, University of Copenhagen, Hellerup, Gentofte, Denmark. jacpth01@geh.regionh.dk
authors.forename: Jacob P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Thyssen
mesh_terms: D003035:Cobalt / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000276:immunology; D003429:Cross Reactions; D017449:Dermatitis, Allergic Contact / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005502:Food; D006801:Humans; D008420:Manufactured Materials; D009532:Nickel / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D010328:Patch Tests; D019736:Prostheses and Implants
chemical_list: D003035:Cobalt; D009532:Nickel