title: Allergic contact dermatitis in children; has there been a change in allergens?
abstract: Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) is now recognized as a common relevant diagnosis in children. We reviewed the results of patch tests in children under 16 years of age over the 3-year period January 2009 to December 2011, comparing the results with those in a similar 3-year retrospective study performed in our unit for the period August 1999 to September 2002. In total, there were 137 children (70 girls and 67 boys) aged 3-15 years enrolled. Of these, 28 girls (40%) and 22 boys (32.8%) had a positive reaction to at least one allergen, with nickel sulfate and potassium dichromate being the most common allergens, each having an incidence of 7.2%, in contrast to the 20% incidence of nickel allergy in 1999-2002. The rate of fragrance allergy was unchanged at 5.8%, and rubber allergy incidence was greatly reduced. These results show that allergens may be changing in children, and that patch testing is still a useful test to consider.
authors.affiliation: Dermatology Department, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, UK.
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Vongyer
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Green
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017449:Dermatitis, Allergic Contact / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010328:Patch Tests / Q000379:methods; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens