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Nickel allergy--prevalence in a population of Swedish youths from patch test and questionnaire data
Ronny Fors1, Maurits Persson, Erik Bergström
1Department of Odontology, Orthodontics, Umeå University, SE 901 87 Umeå, Sweden. ronny.fors@odont.umu.se
Background:
The prevalence of body piercing and orthodontic treatment has increased during recent decades. Such changes in lifestyle may influence the occurrence of nickel allergy.
Objectives:
The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of nickel allergy in a Swedish youth population.
Methods:
In a cross-sectional survey, 6095 adolescents answered a questionnaire on their lifestyle and medical history, and 4439 consented to patch testing for contact allergy. Patch test results were adjusted for dropouts by a missing value analysis.
Results:
The prevalence of self-reported dermatitis from contact with metal items was 14.8%. Patch testing showed nickel sensitization in 9.9% of the subjects, and in significantly more girls than boys, 13.3% versus 2.5%, respectively. Taking the dropout into account, the estimated true prevalence of nickel sensitivity evaluated by test reading at D4 is 11.8% in girls and 1.6% in boys.
Conclusions:
The prevalence of nickel sensitization was higher for girls and slightly lower for boys compared with previous Swedish data. Self-reported information on metal dermatitis as an estimate of nickel allergy has low validity. When possible, missing value analysis should be performed to account for dropouts.
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