Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 5, 2026
High-throughput Fluorometric Measurement of Potential Soil Extracellular Enzyme Activities
Published on: November 15, 2013
[Not Available]
1Klinik für Dermatologie, Venerologie und Allergologie, Allergie-Centrum-Charité, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, Campus Charité Mitte, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Deutschland. margitta.worm@charite.de.
Insights
Allergic contact eczema is common in children. Patch testing reveals nickel sulfate, fragrance mix I, and colophony as frequent sensitizers in children and adolescents, similar to adults.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Allergology
- Epidemiology
Context:
- Allergic contact eczema is a prevalent condition in pediatric populations.
- Patch testing is a crucial diagnostic tool for identifying specific allergens.
- Previous research has established allergen prevalence in adults, but pediatric data requires further investigation.
Purpose:
- To analyze patch test data from a large cohort of children and adolescents.
- To determine the most common contact allergens in pediatric and adolescent populations.
- To compare sensitization patterns between pediatric, adolescent, and adult groups.
Summary:
- Analysis of 116,742 patch tests (2005-2014) including 925 children (0-12 years) and adolescents.
- Nickel sulfate, fragrance mix I, and colophony were the most frequent sensitizers in children, with prevalence rates of 8.5%, 5.5%, and 3.4% respectively.
- Adolescent sensitization patterns mirrored adult patterns, with notable exceptions in fragrance mix I sensitivity.
Impact:
- Findings highlight similarities in sensitization profiles between pediatric and adult populations.
- Identifies key allergens like nickel sulfate and fragrance mix I for targeted prevention strategies in younger demographics.
- Suggests a potential link between increased tattooing and sensitization to dyes like paraphenylenediamine in adolescents.
Abstract:
Allergic contact eczema in children is frequent. If clinically suspected, a patch test should be performed. In the present study, data obtained from 116,742 patients who had undergone a patch test from 2005-2014 were analysed. The children group (range 0-12 years) included 925 patients. If at least 700 tested individuals were considered, the most frequent sensitizations in this group were nickel sulfate (8.5 %), fragrance mix I (5.5 %), and colophony (3.4 %), whereby sensitisation in adults was higher for nickel sulfate (15.5 %) and fragrance mix 1 (8.4 %), while being similar for colophony (3.7 %). In adolescents with and without a profession, nickel sulfate (11.1 and 13.6 %, respectively) and cobalt (II) chloride (3.9 and 3.4 %, respectively) were the most frequent positively tested contact allergens. Sensitisations toward fragrance mix I was low (3.9 and 3.4 %, respectively) in comparison to the adult group (8.4 %). In both children and adolescents, toluene diamine and paraphenylenediamine sensitizations were not infrequent, but it must be considered that these allergens were only tested if suspected. The data show that the sensitisation profile among children and adolescents display patterns similar to those in adults. Sensitisations in childhood and adolescence towards dyes like paraphenylendiamine may be associated with increased use of tattooing in these groups.
