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Allergic contact dermatitis in the United Arab Emirates
G G Lestringant1, A Bener, M Sawaya
1Department of Dermatology, Tawam Hospital and Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.
Background:
No data exist on allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Aim:
Our aim was threefold: (i) to determine the incidence of ACD; (ii) to identify responsible allergens using the European Standard Series, TRUE TEST, and other substances; (iii) to tentatively explore population-specific reactions in Al Ain, UAE.
Design:
This is a prospective, descriptive, hospital-based, study.
Setting:
Tawam Hospital, Al Ain Medical District, UAE.
Patients:
During the years 1989-1996, 373 patients (male: female = 2 : 3), presenting with cutaneous manifestations possibly related to contact allergy, were patch tested.
Results:
93.8% of patients presented with dermatitis affecting mostly the hands (45.1%), feet (21.4%), face (12.6%), and legs (4.6%). Two hundred and twenty-four patients (60%) (male : female = 1 : 2) tested positive for at least one substance. Nickel was the commonest sensitizer (15%) in both genders. "Fragrance mix" (8%), p-tertiary butylphenolformaldehyde (p-TBPF) resin (7.5%), thiomersal (7.5%), chromium (7.2%), cobalt (6.4%), ethylenediamine (6.4%), neomycin (5.1%), and parabens (5.1%) were prominent allergens. Glutardialdehyde, an additional substance tested together with the European Standard Series, scored significantly (4.8%). Variations from the results reported from other countries may be explained by the specific lifestyles and customs of the UAE population.
Conclusions:
Substances contained in the TRUE TEST, plus glutardialdehyde, may be considered as the standard series for patch testing in the UAE population.