“According to global statistics, contact allergy to at least one allergen is found in every fifth person. Very similar statistics are also available in Lithuania – sensitization to contact allergen is determined in 15-23%. healthy people,” says Simona Kašinskaitė, an allergist and clinical immunologist at the Immunology and Allergology Clinic of Kaunas Clinics.
– How does allergic contact dermatitis occur?
– Typically, allergic contact dermatitis is manifested by skin inflammation – skin redness, swelling, rash with plaques, sometimes blisters. In case of frequent contact with the allergen, a chronic course of dermatitis occurs, which is characterized by skin thickening, hardening, flaking, redness, scrapings, cracks. Like many other allergies, contact dermatitis is also characterized by itching.
It can also appear in rarer forms: urticaria, erythema multiforme (red spots on the skin, especially on the hands and feet), contact granuloma (ring-shaped pink papules or plaques), etc. Skin damage can be local or widespread. The hands, face, and eyelids are the most common sites of allergic contact dermatitis, but rashes can appear in various parts of the body. They usually appear after 12-48 hours. after contact with an allergen.
– What are the risk factors for allergic contact dermatitis?
– There is a tendency that contact dermatitis is more common in women than in men. The risk of allergic contact dermatitis is higher for health care workers, hairdressers, specialists working in the chemical industry or beauty salons, machinists and construction workers.
– How is allergic contact dermatitis diagnosed?
– Types of allergic contact dermatitis are distinguished from each other by applying skin patch samples. These samples help to find out whether the patient’s skin lesions could have been caused by increased sensitivity to substances in the home environment, at work, in nature, of which there are approximately 5,000.
The most common allergens that cause allergic contact dermatitis that we use in our research are grouped into standardized allergen series. In the standard set, patients are tested for sensitization to preservatives (parabens, formaldehyde, etc.), fragrances, hair dyes, plant allergens, medications, rubber allergens, metals, resins, etc.
Other sets are aimed at representatives of different professions, for example, specialists working in the field of beauty, dentists. Also coin collectors or patients who are allergic to piercings, other jewelry or certain medications. They are being tested with an extended set of metals and different medications. Applied samples can also be performed with cosmetics or materials brought by the patient.
– How are skin patch samples performed?
– During the first visit, special patches with small metal bowls, into which the allergens are placed, are applied to intact skin (back, sometimes and/or upper arms). Patches are glued to the skin for a period of 48 hours.
The second visit takes place 48 hours after the first visit. When the patient arrives at the hospital, the patches on the skin are removed and the samples are evaluated.
For the third visit, the patient comes 72 hours after the second visit, during which reactions at the previous sample sites are evaluated.
Redness of the skin and a rash at the site of the allergen indicate a positive skin reaction. This place may then itch.
It should be noted that the skin areas where the samples were pasted should not be washed during the study.
– When should skin patch samples not be performed?
– Skin patch samples cannot be performed if the patient is pregnant or breast-feeding, has extensive skin lesions on the back, is heavily suntanned or has used a solarium (last 2-4 weeks), is taking moderate or high doses of systemic glucocorticosteroids, or other immunosuppressive drugs.
– How is allergic contact dermatitis treated?
– The essence of treating this dermatitis is to identify and avoid allergens that cause skin damage. For this reason, identifying a specific allergen is extremely important. Local (if necessary, systemic) anti-inflammatory drugs, creams that restore the skin’s barrier function, and protective creams that prevent the allergen from entering the skin are also used for the treatment of dermatitis. Treatment may include phototherapy and, if necessary, local antibacterial treatment.
2024-09-01 15:30:17