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[Contact dermatitis due to ethyl alcohol: how to perform patch tests?]
A Barbaud1, P Trechot, S Reichert-Penetrat
1Service de Dermatologie, Hôpital Fournier, 36, quai de la Bataille, 54000 Nancy. a.barbaud@chu-nancy.fr
Annales De Dermatologie Et De Venereologie
|June 23, 2000
Summary
Ethyl alcohol sensitization can cause skin reactions like eczema. Patch testing with 70% ethyl alcohol is effective for diagnosing delayed hypersensitivity, even with co-sensitization to corticosteroids.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Allergology
- Toxicology
Background:
- Ethyl alcohol sensitization is a rare condition.
- It can manifest as immediate contact urticaria or delayed eczema.
- Standardized patch testing for ethanol is not well-established.
Observation:
- Four cases of allergic contact dermatitis due to ethyl alcohol were reported in women.
- Two cases involved alcohol in transdermal estrogen systems, and two involved antiseptic lotions.
- Co-sensitization with corticosteroids was observed in two patients.
Findings:
- Patch tests with 70% ethyl alcohol in water yielded positive results in all four patients.
- Positive results were also seen with 10% ethyl alcohol in three patients.
- No irritant reactions were noted in 140 negative controls, supporting the diagnostic utility of these dilutions.
Implications:
- Diluted ethyl alcohol (70%) patch testing is a reliable method for diagnosing delayed hypersensitivity to alcohol.
- The findings suggest that immediate and delayed readings are valuable.
- Co-sensitization with corticosteroids may be linked to aldehyde dehydrogenase deficiency.