Allergic contact dermatitis in children: trends in allergens, 10 years on. A retrospective study of 500 children tested between 2005 and 2014 in one UK centre

Contact Dermatitis. 2016 Jan;74(1):37-43. doi: 10.1111/cod.12489. Epub 2015 Nov 13.

Abstract

Background: Contact allergy in children is becoming increasingly recognized as a cause of eczema. The causal agents may change with time, but there are few comparative data for this age group.

Objectives: To compare data from the past 10 years with a similar study from the previous decade.

Methods: Between 2005 and 2014, 500 consecutive children who had been patch tested at Leeds Teaching Hospitals were identified, and the results were reviewed.

Results: Twenty-seven per cent (134 cases) of children had one or more positive patch test findings. The mean ± standard deviation age of patients with a positive test reaction was 11.9 ± 4.1 years, which was significantly higher than that of patients with a negative result (10.9 ± 4.0 years) (p = 0.01; Mann-Whitney U-test). No significant relationship between sex and a positive patch test result was found (p = 0.48, chi-squared). Allergy to nickel was the most frequent finding, although this accounted for 18%, rather than 33% (1995-2004), of all positive reactions. The next most common allergens included fragrance mix 1 (17%), p-phenylenediamine (16%), and methylchloroisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone (6%).

Conclusions: Although the overall incidence of contact allergy in our paediatric population is static, there has been a significant change in the allergens detected, probably as a result of changes in European legislation and cosmetic product use in children.

Keywords: cosmetics; cutaneous allergy; methylisothiazolinone; p-phenylenediamine; paediatric; patch testing.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Age Distribution
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Dermatitis, Allergic Contact / epidemiology*
  • Dermatitis, Allergic Contact / etiology
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Infant
  • Nickel / adverse effects
  • Patch Tests
  • Phenylenediamines / adverse effects
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Thiazoles / adverse effects
  • United Kingdom / epidemiology

Substances

  • Phenylenediamines
  • Thiazoles
  • 2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one
  • nickel sulfate
  • Nickel
  • 5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one
  • 4-phenylenediamine