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Patch Testing in Children, Adults, and the Elderly: Influence of Age and Sex on Sensitization Patterns
Author(s) -
Wöhrl Stefan,
Hemmer Wolfgang,
Focke Margarete,
Götz Manfred,
Jarisch Reinhart
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
pediatric dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.542
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1525-1470
pISSN - 0736-8046
DOI - 10.1046/j.1525-1470.2003.20204.x
Subject(s) - thimerosal , medicine , sensitization , cobalt chloride , propolis , patch test , mercury (programming language) , cobalt , nickel , chromium , immunology , allergy , dermatology , traditional medicine , chemistry , inorganic chemistry , organic chemistry , computer science , programming language
Patch testing was done on 2776 consecutive patients (76.5% female) with a locally revised standard series of 34 contact allergens and the results analyzed for age‐ and gender‐specific differences. At least one positive epicutaneous test reaction occurred in 48.9% of patients. Nickel (20.9%), ethylmercuric chloride (13.2%), thimerosal (11.8%), fragrance mix (9.3%), metallic mercury (8.9%), palladium (5.8%), balsam of Peru (3.8%), copper (3.7%), cobalt (3.3%), and chromium (2.3%) were the 10 most important sensitizers. The following tested allergens with sensitization rates of more than 1% were not part of the usual standard series: ethylmercuric chloride, metallic mercury, copper, propolis (1.3%), propylene glycol (1.0%). Reactions to nickel, cobalt, and palladium, but not to chromium, were significantly more abundant in females (p < 0.002, chi‐squared test). The overall sensitization rate was highest in children less than 10 years old (62%) and decreased steadily, to be lowest among patients more than 70 years old (34.9%). The rate of positive reactions to nickel and thimerosal decreased with age, while fragrance mix and metallic mercury stayed at the same level through all age groups.