title: Contact Allergy in Danish Healthcare Workers: A Retrospective Matched Case-control Study.
abstract: Contact dermatitis in healthcare workers is a world wide problem. We conducted a retrospective observational study of the patch-test results of 1402 healthcare workers and 1402 matched controls with contact dermatitis who were treated at 3 hospitals departments in Denmark between 2007 and 2014. The primary objective was to determine whether healthcare work was associated with contact allergy to thiuram mix. Unadjusted univariate analyses revealed that healthcare work was significantly associated with occupational contact dermatitis and hand dermatitis. Contact allergy to thiuram mix was more common in healthcare workers was significantly associated with having occupational contact dermatitis, hand dermatitis and older age. In conclusion, we report here a potential problem of contact allergy to thiurams in healthcare workers with contact dermatitis. Legislative authorities may in the future focus on the use of rubber accelerators in, for example, protective gloves, which are widely used by healthcare professionals.
authors.affiliation: National Allergy Research Centre, Department of Dermato-Allergology, Copenhagen University Hospital Gentofte, DK-2900 Hellerup, Denmark. jakob.ferloev.schwensen.03@regionh.dk.
authors.forename: Jakob F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Schwensen
authors.forename: Torkil
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Menné
authors.forename: Mette
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sommerlund
authors.forename: Klaus E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: Charlotte G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Mortz
authors.forename: Claus
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zachariae
authors.forename: Jeanne D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Johansen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000485:Allergens / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D017449:Dermatitis, Allergic Contact / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006229:Hand Dermatoses / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016272:Occupational Health; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013893:Thiram / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D013893:Thiram