Results of routine patch testing with corticosteroid series in 2073 patients

The patch test results of 61 patients allergic to at least 1 corticosteroid molecule are presented. These contact allergies were detected by testing with several corticosteroids included in our standard patch test series between February 1988 and December 1990. Whenever possible, further investigations were conducted by means of a more complete corticosteroid series. We found corticosteroids to be the 7th most frequent allergen, positive results being obtained in 2.9% of all patients referred to our contact dermatitis unit. In this series, budesonide was the most common allergen and often gave simultaneous reactions with other corticosteroids.