Patch testing for occupational allergens and the evaluation of patients with occupational contact dermatitis

With the expanding interest in the environmental causes of disease, carefully performed, differential patch testing in suspected cases of contact allergy becomes a vitally important part of the investigation. Although all of the necessary allergens have not yet been released by the FDA for U.S. manufacture and distribution, it is hoped this will occur within the next few months. The thousands of patients with work-related allergic contact dermatitis can then hope for to learn the exact source of their disease, which can then lead to suitable work adjustments.