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Dispelling the Myths Behind Pediatric Patch Testing—Experience from Our Tertiary Care Patch Testing Centers
Author(s) -
Jacob Sharon E.,
Steele Tace,
Brod Bruce,
Crawford Glen H.
Publication year - 2008
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 - 10.1111/j.1525-1470.2008.00670.x
Subject(s) - medicine , patch testing , patch test , tertiary care , gold standard (test) , allergic contact dermatitis , test (biology) , contact dermatitis , atopic dermatitis , dermatology , pediatrics , family medicine , allergy , immunology , paleontology , biology
Allergic contact dermatitis is now known to be a common problem in pediatric populations, accounting for up to 20% of all dermatitis seen in children. Seminal studies conducted over the past decade have demonstrated a prevalence rate in the range of 25% to 60% of children referred for epicutaneous patch testing. This patch test procedure is generally accepted as the gold standard in vivo technique to diagnose allergic contact dermatitis. However, the overwhelming majority of research studies to date have been conducted on adult populations. Increasingly, pediatric patients are undergoing patch test procedures with techniques that have been standardized and optimized almost exclusively in adults. With this article, we hope to emphasize common misconceptions and pitfalls encountered with this approach. In addition, we hope to stimulate research interest in this field so as to determine the optimum patch test conditions and techniques for children.