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Published on: March 24, 2023
Contact Sensitization in Children: A Retrospective Study of 2,614 Children from a Single Center
Anna Belloni Fortina1, Elena Fontana1, Andrea Peserico2
1Pediatric Dermatology Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Insights
Contact sensitization is common in children, affecting nearly half of those tested. Atopic dermatitis (AD) did not increase sensitization risk, but allergens like potassium dichromate were more prevalent in children with AD.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Dermatology
- Allergology
- Immunology
Background:
- Contact sensitization is increasingly recognized in pediatric populations.
- Limited large-scale studies exist on pediatric contact sensitization by a single research team.
- Understanding common allergens is crucial for effective management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess contact sensitization prevalence in children with suspected contact dermatitis.
- To investigate the association between contact sensitization and atopic dermatitis (AD) in children.
- To identify the most frequent contact allergens in this pediatric cohort.
Main Methods:
- Patch testing of 2,614 children under 11 years old.
- Utilized a standard series of 30 common allergens.
- Evaluated by a consistent clinical team for uniform assessment.
Main Results:
- 46.7% of children showed at least one positive reaction; 49.7% were clinically relevant.
- Nickel sulfate (22.7%), cobalt chloride (11.1%), and potassium dichromate (9.9%) were the most common allergens.
- Sensitization prevalence was similar in children with (47.3%) and without (46.1%) AD.
Conclusions:
- Contact sensitization is prevalent in young children.
- Children with AD showed higher reactivity to potassium dichromate, Compositae mix, and disperse blue.
- The study provides valuable data on pediatric contact allergens and their relation to AD.
Background:
Contact sensitization in children is more common than previously thought, but few studies have been performed on a large population assessed by the same team. The objective was to evaluate contact sensitization in children with suspected contact dermatitis, the relationship with atopic dermatitis (AD), and the most common allergens.
Methods:
The same team patch tested 2,614 children younger than 11 years old with a standard series of 30 allergens.
Results:
A total of 1220 children (46.7%) developed at least one positive reaction, 606 of which were clinically relevant (49.7%). The most frequent reactions were to nickel sulfate (22.7%), cobalt chloride (11.1%), potassium dichromate (9.9%), neomycin sulfate (5.2%), thimerosal (4.2%), cocamidopropyl betaine (3.4%), and methylchloroisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone (3.2%). The prevalence of contact sensitization was similar in children with (47.3%) and without (46.1%) AD. Children with AD had a higher prevalence of positive reactions to potassium dichromate (p < 0.001), Compositae mix (p = 0.01), and disperse blue (p = 0.03).
Conclusions:
Contact sensitization is quite common in young children. This study adds some information on the most common contact allergens. A similar prevalence of positive patch test reactions was found in children with and without AD, but children with AD had a greater prevalence of positive patch test reactions to potassium dichromate, Compositae mix, and disperse blue.
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