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Patch testing with thimerosal in a Canadian center: an 11-year experience.

Anatoli Freiman¹, Ahmed Al-Layali, Denis Sasseville

¹Division of Dermatology, McGill University Health Centre, Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal, PQ, Canada.

American Journal of Contact Dermatitis : Official Journal of the American Contact Dermatitis Society

|January 28, 2004

Summary

Thimerosal causes frequent positive patch tests, but clinical relevance is rare. This study found 4.53% of patients reacted, yet few cases confirmed thimerosal

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Area of Science:

Dermatology
Allergology
Occupational Health

Background:

Thimerosal, a widely used preservative, is a known contact allergen.
The clinical significance of positive thimerosal patch tests has been debated.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the prevalence and relevance of thimerosal patch test reactions in a Canadian cohort.
To compare findings with existing literature on thimerosal allergy.

Main Methods:

Retrospective analysis of 11 years of data from a university hospital's contact dermatitis clinic.
Patch testing of 2252 subjects for thimerosal exposure.

Main Results:

Thimerosal was the fifth most common allergen, with 4.53% of subjects showing positive reactions.

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Sensitization rates were similar for targeted and routine testing.

Increased sensitization observed in chemists, lab technicians, and healthcare workers.

Eight reactions were possibly relevant, but none definitively linked to thimerosal exposure.

Conclusions:

Positive thimerosal patch tests are common but rarely clinically significant.
The low clinical relevance suggests limited impact of thimerosal sensitization in the studied population.