The number of commercially available plant allergens/extracts is limited and therefore patch testing with fresh/dried plant material may be a necessary supplement in diagnosing plant allergy.
To evaluate the usefulness of patch testing with plants “as is” compared to patch testing with commercial and in-house produced plant test materials and to report on species eliciting positive patch test reactions.
Consecutive eczema patients, who were patch tested between January 2019 and December 2023 and who had at least one positive reaction to a plant allergen and/or extract and/or plant “as is” were included in the study.
A total 57 out of 1893 patients tested (3%) were sensitised to plants. Compositae plants were the most frequent sensitizers, followed by tomato, tulipalin A, falcarinol, and Philodendron plants. In 12 patients (21%), the diagnosis was based on patch testing with fresh plants only. Occupational sensitization occurred in 32%. Other sensitizers included Hydrangea, Pelargonium zonale, and Monstera.
A large minority of plant-sensitised patients would have been undiagnosed without patch testing with plants “as is.” Most of the culprit plants were known sensitizers, but not commercially available, and these and new species taken into cultivation makes patch testing with fresh plants unavoidable and worthwhile.
Atopic dermatitis (AD) and hand eczema often co-occur, particularly among adults.
To examine the interplay between AD and hand eczema in the general population, by characterising prevalence, disease severity, contact sensitization, and comorbidities in individuals with one or both conditions.
In this cross-sectional study, 100 000 randomly selected adults in the Danish general population received a questionnaire via a secure, digital mailbox linked to their civil registration number. Participants answered questions regarding eczema, disease severity, patch testing, and comorbidities.
A total of 40 007 individuals responded to the question on a lifetime prevalence of AD, and the prevalence among adult Danes was 9.0%. Nearly one third of individuals with AD reported moderate to severe disease. AD was associated with contact sensitization and increased hand eczema prevalence. Individuals with both AD and hand eczema reported worse disease severity. Furthermore, having both conditions was associated with an increased risk of psychiatric comorbidities.
This study provided updated information about unselected adults with AD in Denmark. Individuals with both AD and hand eczema represent a vulnerable subgroup that physicians should be attentive to.
Measurements of transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and stratum corneum (SC) pH can help indicate work-related skin barrier damage, but sensitivity to confounding personal and ambient factors limits their potential as biomonitoring tools.
To evaluate the difference between hand and forearm skin barrier conditions as a tool for early recognition of workers with occupational contact dermatitis.
The participants were nursing apprentices (N = 238, median age 19 years) from Zagreb, Croatia. They filled out a questionnaire based on the Nordic Occupational Skin Questionnaire, underwent a clinical examination of skin on the hands, and were evaluated for their TEWL and SC pH on the dorsum of the hand and volar part of the forearm.
We found that the difference between hand and forearm TEWL values (ΔTEWL) greater than 7 g/m2/h, or >50%, or the difference in SC ΔpH >0.50, predicted visible skin changes found on clinical examination. However, only the association with ΔpH >0.50 retained statistical significance when controlled for sex, age, ambient temperature, and relative humidity in a multiple regression model.
The difference between hand and forearm SC pH values is suggested as a reliable biomonitoring tool in recognition of damaged skin barrier conditions in occupational settings.
The validity of the self-report questionnaire for hand eczema (HE) among Croatian hairdressers was not investigated previously, leading to uncertainty in the prevalence estimated from self-reported data.
To (1) investigate the validity of the self-report questionnaire for HE in hairdressing apprentices and (2) examine the differences between apprentices who recognised their HE symptoms and those who did not.
Clinical examination for HE signs on hands and wrists was performed by the Osnabrueck Hand Eczema Severity Index for 408 apprentices at four visits covering the entire schooling period. Self-report HE was based on the Nordic Occupational Skin Questionnaire.
Low sensitivity (7%–37%) with high specificity (≥95%) was observed, with both measures improving from baseline to last visit. The severity of HE signs was the only factor associated with the correct identification of HE signs in analyses adjusted for previous HE signs, health-related quality of life, and atopic dermatitis (adjusted odds ratios of 1.58 with 95% confidence interval [1.06–2.35] and 1.74[1.38–2.19] at second and third follow-up visit, respectively).
Self-report questionnaire for HE showed low sensitivity in hairdressing apprentices, especially at the beginning of training and in those with mild symptoms. Further validation studies following questionnaire modifications aimed at adolescent population are advised.
Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) may be chronic and can cause distress, disability, and absence from work. Nationwide epidemiological studies of ACD are sparse.
To use national registry data to study the incidence and aetiology of ACD in the working age population of Finland.
Patient records from the years 1998–2021 were obtained from the Finnish Care Register for Health Care. Study subjects aged 18–65 years were selected on the basis of a diagnosis of ACD.
Total number of study subjects was 26 701. The incidence of ACD increased until 2016 after which it started to decrease. The increase was more marked in females and ACD was particularly common in women reporting reactions to cosmetics and other chemical products and in people of both sexes reacting to adhesives. The incidence ‘ACD of unspecific cause’ has decreased since 2016. The most commonly reported allergens were metals, followed by cosmetics. One fourth of subjects had ≥2 ACD diagnoses.
The incidence of ACD in working age subjects rose from 1998 to 2016, especially in females. However, the incidence has been decreasing since 2016. Our findings highlight the ongoing and even increasing burden of ACD among the working age population.
Existing literature has questioned the sensitivity of patch testing (PT) with cotrimoxazole (CTX) in the study of drug hypersensitivity.
Assess the sensitivity of PT with CTX in non-immediate cutaneous adverse drug reactions (CADR).
Retrospective analysis (2000–2022) of PT with an antibiotic series including CTX 10% pet (Chemotechnique Diagnostics©) performed according to ESCD guidelines in patients with suspected non-immediate CADR reactions to CTX. Some patients were additionally tested with in-house preparations of CTX from Bactrim DS® tablets at 10% in pet or water and trimethoprim 10% pet (Laboratórios Edol©).
Sixty-four patients (48F/16M; mean age 47 ± 18) were included, mostly with maculopapular exanthema (51, 80%). Notably, CTX was sole suspect in 24 patients. There was no positive reaction to CTX at 10% from Chemotechnique or Bactrim DS® tablets prepared at 10% pet for patch testing. One patient reacted exclusively to trimethoprim with 1+ reaction. Two patients had a faint reaction (1+) only with the powder of Bactrim DS® tablets in water at D2, but as the reactions faded completely in 24 or 48 h, they were interpreted as irritant non-specific reactions.
These findings suggest that patch testing may lack sufficient sensitivity to diagnose CTX-induced non-immediate CADR. Therefore, clinicians should be cautious interpreting CTX patch test results.
京公网安备 11010802042870号
京ICP备2023020795号-1
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：