The aetiology of eyelid dermatitis in a series of 191 patients

. Several studies identified allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) as the most common cause of periorbital dermatitis. Nevertheless, there is paucity of studies directly comparing the relevance of allergens in the eyelid dermatitis versus non eyelid dermatitis populations. Methods. 1043 patients who presented with the clinical suspicion of ACD were patch tested in a 2-year period. Patient demographics, clinical features, history of atopy and results of patch tests were collected. Patch test results of patients with eyelid dermatitis were compared with those of patients with dermatitis confined to other body areas. Results. 191 out of 1043 patch tested patients (18.3%) presented with eyelid dermatitis. Patients with eyelid dermatitis were more likely to be women compared to the non-eyelid group of patients. The two groups did not differ as for the frequency of atopy, including respiratory atopy and atopic dermatitis. The prevalence of ACD was statistically higher in the eyelid group (64.4%) compared to the non-eyelid group (49.4%). The most relevant allergens in patients with eyelid dermatitis were metals, preservatives and fragrances. Allergens resulting statistically more frequent in eyelid patients were methylchloroisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone, nickel sulphate, disperse blue 124, dimethylaminopropylamine. Conclusions. Patients with eyelid dermatitis are likely to have ACD, and need appropriate patch testing.