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The article presents case studies of a 36-year-old car painter with a history of redness in chest skin and eczema and a 22-year-old construction worker with a history of atopic dermatitis. It discusses the results of medical examination "patch test" in accordance with (European Society of Cosmetic Dentistry) ESCD recommendations. And notes amines in epoxy hardeners as the cause of occupational allergy.

Background/objectives Environmental exposure and personal susceptibility both contribute to the development of hand eczema. In this study, we investigated the effect of loss-of-function mutations in the filaggrin gene ( FLG), atopic dermatitis and wet work exposure on the development of hand eczema in apprentice nurses. Methods Dutch apprentice nurses were genotyped for the four most common FLG mutations; atopic dermatitis and hand eczema history were assessed by questionnaire. Exposure and hand eczema during traineeships were assessed with diary cards. Results The prevalence of hand eczema during traineeships was higher among subjects with a history of hand eczema reported at inclusion. Hand washing during traineeships and at home increased the risk of hand eczema. After adjustment for the effects of exposure and FLG mutations, an odds ratio of 2.5 (90% confidence interval 1.7-3.7) was found for a history of atopic dermatitis. In this study, an increased risk of hand eczema conferred by FLG mutations could not be shown, but subjects with concomitant FLG mutations and atopic dermatitis showed the highest risk of hand eczema during traineeships. Conclusion A history of atopic dermatitis, a history of hand eczema and wet work exposure were the most important factors increasing the risk of hand eczema during traineeships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. An association between Compositae sensitization and atopic dermatitis has been suggested on the basis of case reports and clinical studies. Objectives. To describe the characteristics of sensitization in Compositae-allergic patients with current and/or past atopic dermatitis. Patients/materials/methods. Consecutive Compositae-sensitive patients were selected for analysis if they had a history of (i) present and/or past atopic dermatitis or (ii) childhood flexural eczema or (iii) childhood eczema of any kind and a positive prick test result. Results. Fifty-one persons (35 females and 16 males) were included. The mean age was lower and the percentage of males was slightly higher than in non-atopics. Testing with sesquiterpene lactone mix, parthenolide and Compositae mix 6% or 5% detected 96% of the patients. Occupational sensitization occurred in 22%. The sensitizing pattern did not differ much from that of non-atopics, except that dandelion was an important allergen in children. Cobalt allergy was the most frequent other contact allergy, occurring in 37%. Conclusions. Persons with current or past atopic dermatitis may become sensitized to Compositae at any age, both occupationally and non-occupationally. They should be screened for Compositae allergy on equal terms with non-atopics, except that dandelion extract should always be tested in children. Co-sensitization to cobalt was frequent, but probably not related to the plant allergy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Occupational contact dermatitis is frequent, and further understanding of the epidemiology will improve the basis of its prevention. Objectives. To identify occupations at risk for severe occupational contact dermatitis. Methods. The last 1000 cases of severe occupational contact dermatitis seen at our department were identified. Results. The study population comprised 618 females and 382 males. The mean age at onset of irritant contact dermatitis was significantly lower than the mean age at onset of allergic contact dermatitis for both sexes, irrespective of the presence of atopic dermatitis. Females at high riskwere cooks, butchers, beauticians, bakers, and hairdressers, ranging from 23.3 to 96.8 cases per 10 000 workers per year. Males at high risk were painters, cooks, mechanics, locksmiths, and bakers, ranging from 16.5 to 32.3 cases per 10000 workers per year. Conclusions. Occupational contact dermatitis remains frequent, even if only severe cases are considered. It is a concern that no effective, systematic interventions and prevention schemes have been launched in Europe, despite documentation of a significant problem overmany years, and knowledge of risk occupations and risk factors. This study suggests new approaches for general and specific prevention of occupational contact dermatitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Filaggrin null (FLG) mutations lead to skin barrier disruption with a reduced resistance towards exogenous agents and also influence the course of disease in atopic dermatitis. Objectives: To examine the association between FLG mutations and contact allergy, polysensitization, hand eczema at first appearance of disease, occurrence, and course of dermatitis. Methods: A venous blood sample from 430 individuals was genotyped for FLG mutations R501X and 2282del4 with polymerase chain reaction followed by typing through hybridization to paramagnetic polystyrene beads and analysis on a BioPlex 200. All individuals had a minimum of one positive patch test reaction. Results: In all, 3.5% were 2282del4 heterozygote and 5.1% were R501X heterozygote. An odds ratio (OR) of 1.49 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.74–3.00] was found for nickel allergy, OR 0.84 (95% CI 0.41–1.74) for polysensitization, OR 0.78 (95% CI 0.25–2.43) for dermatitis, OR 0.96 (95% CI 0.48–1.92) for hand eczema at debut, OR 1.25 (95% CI 0.99–1.57) for duration of disease, and OR 0.76 (95% CI 0.59–0.97) for age at onset. Conclusions: No association between nickel allergy, polysensitization, hand eczema at first appearance or occurrence of dermatitis, and FLG mutations was found. However, patients with FLG mutations had an earlier age of onset compared with the wild-type genotype and a trend towards longer duration of disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dermatological responses are affected by the menstrual cycle phase in female patients, an unsurprising observation as oestrogen and progesterone affect the skin and immunological function, with oestrogen suppression of cellular immunity in particular. Exacerbation of dermatological symptoms is typically observed in either the latter phase of the menstrual cycle or during menstruation. The allergic response is diminished in the ovulatory phase and heightened in the progestinic phase. Definitive conclusions with regard to the effect of reproductive hormones on skin disorders have been somewhat hampered by a body of research that has employed diverse research parameters, such as dosage, testing sites, concentration, vehicle of irritant delivery, and method of assessment, however, individual patient sensitivity varies widely. Standardization of measurement techniques is necessary to provide reproducible results as much as individual patient variation and technique will allow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hand eczema is a common dermatosis. The course is often protracted. The prognosis is not well described. Objective: To describe in detail a consecutive cohort of hand eczema patients with regard to aetiology and morphology as well as the dynamics of the hand eczema. Patients and Methods: This prospective study included 522 consecutive patients (175 men and 347 women with hand eczema) seen in 1 year in a private practice of dermatology. 425 (81%) of the patients were patch tested in relation to the current study. Most of the remainder had been previously patch tested. Results: 38% had mild dermatitis, 49% had dermatitis of moderate severity, and 11% had severe dermatitis. 23% had had dermatitis for more than 10 years. 33% had irritant contact dermatitis, 13% of the men and 20% of the women had allergic contact dermatitis, and 15% of the men and 16% of the women had atopic dermatitis. For 34% of the men and 29% of the women, the dermatitis was certainly or possibly occupational. There was no relationship to smoking. Conclusions: The majority of this cohort of hand eczema patients had long-standing disease. Irritant contact dermatitis was the most common aetiological diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of contact sensitivities on the course of atopic dermatitis (AD) is not known. The objective of the study is to find the course of AD in atopic patients with and without contact sensitivities. A total of 801 atopic patients were studied and patch tested in 1983/84. A questionnaire focusing on the occurrence of dermatitis was sent to these patients 16 years later. During the follow up the number of symptom-free patients increased from 36.7% to 40.7%. In patients with positive patch-test reactions, 30.1% were symptom free in 1983/84 and 38.3% at the follow up ( P= 0.001). Among those with positive patch-test reactions to fragrance mix and/or balsam of Peru, the number of symptom-free patients had increased the most: from 26.9% to 42.6% ( P= 0.0095), and a similar tendency was seen among those with nickel allergy. The occurrence of dermatitis did not change among patients without contact sensitivities. Thus, the study concluded that contact allergy does not impair the prognosis of dermatitis in atopic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atopic dermatitis (AD) patients with predominantly head and neck involvement react to patch tests of the yeast Malassezia sympodialis ( Ms). Protein patch testing methods and interpretation are controversial, but subgroups of AD patients may have unique triggers for disease activity. The aim of the study was to identify clinical characteristics of patients who are patch test-positive to Dermatophagoides farinae/pteronyssinus (Df) and Ms and characterize cutaneous cytokine profiles of the atopy patch tests (APTs). 25 AD patients and 27 control dermatitis patients were patch tested with Ms and Df. Qualitative analysis of Th-1 and Th-2 cytokines by RT-PCR mRNA was obtained from positive APTs. Atopic dermatitis patients with a textile pattern or head and neck involvement demonstrated more positive APTs to Ms than control patients. Early positive APTs (<6 hr) did not exhibit a Th-1 type cytokine profile. The subgroup of adult AD patients with head, neck and upper torso pattern of dermatitis seems most likely to react to Ms (and Df). The immune mechanism of protein patch tests includes a Th-1 cell-mediated component after 6 hr or more. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Occupational hand eczema (OHE) is the most frequently recognized work-related disease in Denmark and the annual cost to society is high. Understanding of the epidemiology of OHE is essential to be able to give appropriate recommendations for its prevention. The study comprised 758 persons, 490 females and 268 males with recognized OHE in the period October 2001 to November 2002. Data were obtained prospectively from the National Board of Industrial Industry Registry and from a self-administered questionnaire (response rate, 82%). The most frequently recognized diagnosis was irritant contact dermatitis (ICD), mainly caused by wet occupations. The proportion of occupational ICD was equal for males and females, 59.7% and 63.1%, respectively. The estimated rates of OHE were high for bakers, hairdressers and dental surgery assistants, and a high proportion of apprentices were found among hairdressers. The prevalence of atopic dermatitis was low (16.4%) compared to previous studies among hand eczema patients. The prevalence of occupational allergic contact dermatitis in the study population was substantially higher among males than females, and the most frequent causes among males were allergy to chromium (leather exposure), rubber additives (gloves) and nickel due to exposure from work tools and metalworking industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atopy patch tests (APTs) are considered a useful addition to standard testing procedures for the identification of allergens triggering the appearance of eczema in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). The aim of the study was to evaluate the reproducibility of APTs with house dust mites by simultaneously patch testing AD patients. 85 subjects affected by AD, 36 males and 48 females, aged from 1 to 52 years, were patch tested with Dermatophagoides mix ( D. pteron/ D. farinae) 20% pet. In our patients, the percentage of agreement between the frequency of positive and negative responses to Dermatophagoides mix was 96.7%. Reproducibility was highly satisfactory, as evaluated by k-value (0.953). As regards the agreement in the intensity of APT responses to Dermatophagoides mix between the right and left sides, we found that reproducibility was also highly satisfactory ( k = 0.851). In conclusion, for Dermatophagoides APTs, the agreement rate was similar to that of standard patch tests, and therefore APTs may be considered sufficiently reproducible to be employed as a diagnostic testing procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The course of dermatitis was followed in nickel-sensitive and nickel-negative atopic and non-atopic patients. Manifest dermatitis was seen in 70% of the nickel-allergic and in 64% of the nickel-negative female atopic dermatitis (AD) patients. Those atopic subjects who had minor symptoms in their teens suffered more from dermatitis if they had developed nickel allergy (p<0.025). Hands and the head region were the most common sites for current dermatitis in both groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various markers of atopy were studied in 20 subjects with a history of nickel allergy but negative patch test reactions, and compared with 2 control groups. 13 subjects with no history of nickel allergy and negative patch tests; 11 subjects with a history of nickel allergy and positive patch tests. No significant difference in the incidence of atopy was detected in the 3 groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In unselected eczema patients subjected to routine patch testing, the number with positive reactions to Kathon® CG 100 ppm increased from none in 1983 to 0.7% in January-August 1985 and to 4.6% in September I985 to March 1986. Repeated open application tests (ROAT) with creams containing 7-15 ppm of the isothiazolinones were positive in 12 of 24 patients tested. 2 of the ROAT-positive cases had negative patch tests to 100 ppm Kathon® CG, but I was positive with 200 ppm. Atopic dermatitis, chronic hand dermatitis and lower leg dermatitis were the most common disorders in the positive patients. The cause of the rapid increase of Kathon® CG allergy in Finland during the winter of 1985-1986 was the use of a popular moisturizing cream containing first 19 ppm, then 7 ppm of a mixture of 2 isothiazolinones (Euxyl® K 100). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with eyelid dermatitis were studied with patch tests and a clinical point method for the diagnosis of atopic skin disease. In 38 patients, contact allergy was found in 11. The dermatitis was an expression of atopic dermatitis in 15 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Of 368 patients with hand eczema examined during the years 1978-79, at a Department of Occupational Dermatology, 39% had a history of atopic disease (dermatitis, asthma, or rhinitis). 28% of the patients had or had atopic dermatitis. The % of atopics in the patient material was highest in the age range 20-24 years, in which 57% of the patients had a history of atopic dermatitis, compared with only 11% in the age range above 35 years. Of all patients with a history of atopy, 22% had developed allergic contact dermatitis, while the corresponding figure for non-atopics was 45% (p < 0.001). Positive patch test reactions occurred in a significantly smaller number of individuals with past or present atopic disease than in non-atopics. Atopics had not changed jobs because of hand eczema to a greater extent, but had healed to a lesser extent after change of occupation than non-atopics (p < 0.01). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

11 men developed a severe phototoxic dermatitis of the hands and forearms after harvesting celery infected with Sclerotinio sclerotiorum. By thin-layer chromatography and fluorescence spectrophotometry, xanthotoxin. bergapten and sphondin were isolated. The Canadida albicans test demonstrated xanthotoxin and bergapten as the phototoxic compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 64-year-old male patient with no history of atopic dermatitis. It mentions that the patients had developed severe dermatitis on lower legs and forearms over the last seven years of working as a painter. It states that the patient was exposed to methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI) and methylisothiazolinone (MI) on a daily basis.

The article presents a case study of a 56-year-old non-atopic woman with an itchy erythema multiforme-like eruption mainly involving the upper limbs and hands. It mentions that the women experienced reaction after the first course of oral therapy with rise dronate for postmenopausal osteoporosis. And results of medical examinations including autoimmunity and coagulation tests, inflammatory markers, and a broad viral panel.

The article presents a case study of a 42-year-old female with a suspicion of work-related mucosal allergy. Topics discussed include history of childhood atopic dermatitis; results of her medical examination; and mentions that the patient had positive patch test reactions to tixocortol 21-pivalate, fragrance mix II, and hydroxycitronella. Also mentions that the patient was prick tested with standard inhalant allergens, bark chip, and nitrile glove.

With the exception of certain drugs, some contactants give positive patch test reactions less frequently in patients with atopic dermatitis than in all patients with dermatitis. Both among atopics and other dermatitis patients, women reacted positively to most drugs more frequently than men did. In Poland, positive patch tests to balsams are rare in atopics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emulsifiers are common constituents of most topical preparations. To study the sensitization rate in a population with frequent use of these agents, we selected 47 patients with chronic or recurrent (>1 year) inflammatory skin disease (leg ulcers, contact dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis) for patch testing with the following emulsifiers: Tween 40 (polyoxyethylene sorbitan monopalmitate), Tween 80 (polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate), Span 60 (sorbitan monostearate), Span 80 (sorbitan monocelate), Arlacel 83 (sorbitan sesquioleate), Atlas G 2162 (polyoxyethylene oxypropylene stearate), Atlas G 1441 (polyoxyethylene sorbitol lanolin derivative), triethanolamine, Lanette O (cetylstearyl alcohol), Lanette N. 12 patients had at least 1 positive reaction (25.5%) at 3 or 4 days. Among them, 10 had leg ulcers (43.4% of the leg ulcer group), and 2 had contact dermatitis (13.3% of the contact dermatitis group). No positive reaction was observed in the other patients. When the patients were tested with their own topical preparations or wound dressings, 6 of them, all with leg ulcers, had positive reactions. These results show a surprisingly high prevalence of sensitization to emulsifiers in patients with chronic leg ulcers, in contrast to patients with other inflammatory skin diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses seasonal transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and impedance of forearm skin in atopics and non-atopics. The 7 atopics had typical respiratory and or dermatological personal and or family histories or had positive intracutaneous tests to titrated, standardized atopic extracts. One atopic was left handed. The 19 non-atopics had negative atopic histories. There was no seasonal influence on TEWI and impedance in atopics or in non-atopics. TEWL in atopics does not differ from non-atopics. But impedance in atopics appears to be significantly lower than in non-atopics.

The article presents a case study of a 2-year-old boy presented with acute dermatitis on the areas where he had applied the sunscreen product and with a history of atopic dermatitis. Topics discussed include diagnosis of allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) due to cetearyl isononanoate contained in a sunscreen product, us of ingredient in products such as moisturizing creams and skin-conditioning agent and its formation from esterification of saturated cetearyl alcohol with isononanoic acid.

The article presents a case study of a 36-year-old woman with a history of atopic dermatitis and eczema on her eyelids, hands, and forearms. Topics discussed include results of prick tests, performed with a commercial latex extract; elevation of immunoglobulin E (IgE); and use of corticosteroid cream for treatment.

The article presents a case study of a 46-year-old atopic woman with chronic dermatitis on her left planar on both feet. The patient underwent patch testing which reveals reactivity to chromium. The study showed the need for dermatologists to examine the validity of chromium-free footwear in patient with foot dermatitis and chromium allergy.

The article presents a case study of a 39-year-old nurse who was presented with itching without lesions on her hands and wrists, oedema on her lips and tongue, dyspnoea, and cough after wearing polyvinylchloride (PVC) gloves. The patient had a history of atopic dermatitis and asthma and present latex allergy. Occupational contact urticaria was expected and the patient underwent patch testing with PVC gloves, which showed that the patient's syndrome had an immunological origin.

The article presents a case study of a 28-year-old British woman who was referred with eczema in both axillae which occurred after the use of deodorants. She was patch tested with the British Contact Dermatitis Society (BCDS) baseline series, aluminum chloride, and fragrance series, and a contact allergy was observed. The study reveals the relation between allergic contact dermatitis affecting the axillae and deodorants.

The article presents a case study of a 45-year-old female gardener with hand eczema. It states that her current problem was acute vesicular and infected hand eczema which she acquired after handling peppermint (Mentha piperita). She has also a daughter who had atopic dermatitis. Based on prick test and histamine release (HR) test findings, the patient was characterized as an atopic and had positive clinical symptoms from common ivy cultivar and rosemary.

The article presents case studies of a 60-year-old male atopic rabbi and a 17-year-old atopic boy, both with history of itchy dermatitis affecting the left arm. Both patients are orthodox Jewish and as part of their lifestyle they wear their tefillin bags in the left arm and forehead using leather straps. The rash occurred when their skin came into contact with the leather. Moreover, a discussion is presented on the link between the use of tefillin and leather to allergic dermatitis.

Aeroallergens may play a role in the pathogenesis of atopic eczema. Dust mites, such as Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae, have mainly been studied. A need has arisen for standardization of the patch test method. The aim was to evaluate a new commercial patch test preparation that consists of a mixture of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Derina- topixagoides farinae purified adult mite bodies. The test was also performed, using the same pro- cedure, in a control group of 52 subjects, 15 men and 37 women, 16 to 48 years of age, without personal or family history of atopy, presenting with suspected contact dermatitis.

A 52-year-old woman, with asthma and atopic dermatitis since early childhood, had worked for 17 years on cleaning moulds that had been used for casting iron. In recent years, she had developed a dermatitis mainly on the backs of the hands and face. This was present all year through, but improved when off work for some weeks and deteriorated when back at work. At work, 2 types of resins based on phenol and form- aldehyde were used as binders for casting sand. The patient was exposed exclusively to cured and used sand.

This article presents a case study of a 22 year old female with atopic dermatitis. Her disease got aggravated by alctometasone dipropionate. Patch test was performed to treat the patient. Almeta ointment was applied to the affected parts of the patient with a positive turn out. This ointment is widely used in Japan to cure such skin-related infection. Constituents of the ointment are listed.

This article presents a case study of 63 selected patients with dermatitis. Of the 63 patients , 29 showed positive reactions to one or more allergens. The most common age was between 50 and 60 years. None of the 29 patients were atopic but four has a family history of atopy. A high prevalence of medication sensitivity in the older age group has previously been reported. The increased proportion of males in this study could be due to their more frequent use of tropical medications following injury.

The skin of atopic dermatitis patients is considered to be specially irritable. This article presents information on the damaging effects of a series of irritants on frozen sections of human skin. In frozen sections of human skin, barrier function is eliminated, so that the pure toxic effect on epidermal structure can be studied. Without exception, the irritants showed more aggressive effects on skin samples from the atopic dermatitis patients than was the case with healthy skin. Formic acid caused only partial damage of epidermal structure in healthy skin, whereas in atopic dermatitis tissue, a total loss of structure was found.

A 20-year old secretary presented with a 6-month history of cracking and swelling both upper and lower lips. She had a past history of atopic dermatitis. She knew she was sensitive to adhesive tape and had previously developed eyelid dermatitis when using a lanolin-based eye make-up. Patch testing with as standard series of contact allergens produced a positive (++) reaction to colophony. This patients cheilitis was due to an allergy to 3 separate compounds of her lip preparations, Lanpol 5, shellac and colophony.

The article analyzes properly completed questionnaires dividing the patients with atopic eczema with wool intolerance. Patients are divided into those presenting with non-eczematous diseases and giving no history of hay-fever or asthma (controls), and those with non-eczematous diseases but with a history, past or present, of hay-fever or asthma or both ("atopic subjects"). Although the figures are relatively small, they show a significantly greater intolerance to wool among both sexes with atopic dermatitis but especially in males.