Patchtest for eczema and dermatitis: a clinical analysis of 89 cases in Shenyang

Yan SUN; Xinghua GAO; Li ZHANG; Zheng LIU; Yan WU; Bihuan XIAO

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the distribution and their characteristics of contact allergens in patients with eczema and dermatitis in Shenyang.Methods Patients who were clinically diagnosed as eczema or dermatitis in the Department of Dermatology,No.1 Affiliated Hospital of China Medical Univer sity between March 2008 to November 2008 were enrolled in this study.They were tested with a standardized screening antigen kit on their back or inner part of upper arm,and interpreted 72 hours after patching.Results Patch test was completed in 89 patients and 25 (28.09 ％) showed at least one positive allergen of 20 standardized screening antigens.Twenty-one patients had one positive allergen (23.60 ％) while 3 patients had two positive antigens (3.37 ％).No one showed three positive antigens,and four or more than 4 antigens were positive in 1 patient (1.12 ％).All antigens were negative in 30 patients (33.71％).The top four allergens were nickel sulfate,para-phenylenediamine,thimerosal,and fragrant mix in all 89 patients.There was no statistical difference between male group and female group.The top three allergens were nickel sulfate,thimerosal,formaldehyde in male group while para-phenylenediamine,nickel sulfate,fragrant mix were top three in female group (the last two were same).The positive rate of nickel sulfate and thimerosal was obviously higher in male group than female group,and the difference was statistically significant.No statistical significance of positive rate occurred between the youth group and the old group.Conclusions Patchtest is helpful in identifying the property of contact allergens in para eczema and dermatitis,and it is of significance in clinical prevention and treatment of such diseases.