فراواني آلرژن هاي پوستي در بيماران مبتلا به درماتيت تماسي

The frequency of skin allergens in patients with contact dermatitis

Background: Eczema is one of the most widely spread inflammatory skin disorders. Contact dermatitis is an eczematous dermatitis that is produced as a result of contact with a substance in the environment. The substance can act as an irritant or allergen. Every country has allergens particular to itself. Objective: Determining the frequency of skin allergens in patients with contact dermatitis in Tehran.Patients and Methods:.ln this cross-sectional descriptive study, all the data about the patients with chronic contact dermatitis who were visited in a dermatology clinic in Tehran from the year 1993 to 2003 and patch tested with 23 allergens of European Standard Series (ESS) were analyzed. Results: In this study 222 patients were surverycd. The mean age of the patients was 33.5 Years(SD=13.8). 66.5% of the patients were female. The most common site of involvement (49%) was their hands. The mean duration of the disease was 54 months (SD=62). Clinical diagnosis included: 59% allergic contact dermatitis , 24% irritant dermatitis, 10% atopic dermatitis, and 7% other types of dermatitis. One-hundred and forty five (65.3%) of them had at least one positive reaction. The most common allergens were: nickle sulfate 22.6%, cobalt chloride 14.5%, and fragrance mix 13.6%. Conclusion: Nickel was the most common contact allergen among the patients surveyed.