title: Patch test results in children and adolescents. Study from the Santa Casa de Belo Horizonte Dermatology Clinic, Brazil, from 2003 to 2010.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patch testing is an efficient method to identify the allergen responsible for allergic contact dermatitis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the results of patch tests in children and adolescents comparing these two age groups' results.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study to assess patch test results of 125 children and adolescents aged 1-19 years, with suspected allergic contact dermatitis, in a dermatology clinic in Brazil. Two Brazilian standardized series were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy four (59.2%) patients had "at least one positive reaction" to the patch test. Among these positive tests, 77.0% were deemed relevant. The most frequent allergens were nickel (36.8%), thimerosal (18.4%), tosylamide formaldehyde resin (6.8%), neomycin (6.4%), cobalt (4.0%) and fragrance mix I (4.0%). The most frequent positive tests came from adolescents (p=0.0014) and females (p=0.0002). There was no relevant statistical difference concerning contact sensitizations among patients with or without atopic history. However, there were significant differences regarding sensitization to nickel (p=0.029) and thimerosal (p=0.042) between the two age groups under study, while adolescents were the most affected.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nickel and fragrances were the only positive (and relevant) allergens in children. Nickel and tosylamide formaldehyde resin were the most frequent and relevant allergens among adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Dulcilea Ferraz
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Eugênio Marcos Andrade
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Goulart
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000485:Allergens; D001938:Brazil; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D017449:Dermatitis, Allergic Contact / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010328:Patch Tests / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens