Establishing aluminium contact allergy.

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Allergology
• Contact Dermatitis

Background:

• Traditional patch testing for aluminium allergy uses aluminium chloride hexahydrate (2.0%) and an empty Finn Chamber®.
• The efficacy of current diagnostic methods for aluminium contact allergy requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify optimal aluminium compounds and concentrations for allergy testing.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of different test preparations in diagnosing aluminium contact allergy.

Main Methods:

• Patch testing with six different aluminium compounds and an empty Finn Chamber® on 21 patients with known aluminium allergy.
• Intracutaneous injection using aluminium chloride hexahydrate in saline on 19 patients.

Main Results:

• Aluminium lactate (2.4%) showed significantly more positive patch tests than the standard 2.0% aluminium chloride hexahydrate.
• A 10.0% concentration of aluminium chloride hexahydrate in petrolatum resulted in the highest positive reaction rate (67%).
• The standard intradermal test showed a low positive reaction rate (16%).

Conclusions:

• Standard patch testing (2.0% aluminium chloride hexahydrate, empty Finn Chamber®) and the tested intradermal method are insufficient for diagnosing aluminium contact allergy.
• Higher concentrations of aluminium chloride hexahydrate, specifically 10.0% in petrolatum, appear more effective for patch testing.