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Published on: September 20, 2018
Pediatric Contact Dermatitis Registry Inaugural Case Data
Alina Goldenberg1, Nico Mousdicas, Nanette Silverberg
1From the *Department of Dermatology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla; †Department of Dermatology, Indiana University Health, Indianapolis; ‡Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY; §Department of Dermatology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City; ∥Department of Pediatrics, Eastern Maine Medical Center, Bangor; ¶College of Medicine, The University of Vermont, Burlington; #Department of Dermatology, Preventive Medicine and Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL; **Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY; ††Department of Medicine, State University of New York at Stony Brook, NY; ‡‡Allergy & Immunology Training Program, Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola, NY; §§Department of Dermatology & Cutaneous Surgery, University of Miami, Gables, FL; ∥∥Department of Dermatology and Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA; ¶¶Department of Dermatology and Pediatrics, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington; ##Clinical Dermatology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; ***Department of Pediatrics, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, FL; †††Children's Specialty Group, Department of Pediatrics and Dermatology, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk; ‡‡‡Department of Dermatology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT; §§§Department of Dermatology, University of Colorado Denver; ∥∥∥Denver VAMC, CO; ¶¶¶Vanguard Skin Specialists, Colorado Springs; ###Department of Dermatology, University of California San Diego; ****Department of Dermatology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; ††††Asthma and Allergy Care of Delaware, Newark; ‡‡‡‡Department of Dermatology, University of California San Francisco; §§§§The Everett Clinic, Dermatology Department, WA; ∥∥∥∥Physicians Skin Care, PLLC Louisville, KY, ¶¶¶¶DermResearch, PLLC, Louisville, KY and Icahn School of Medicine
Insights
Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) affects many US children, with over half showing positive patch tests. Common culprits include nickel and fragrance mix I, highlighting the need for product reformulation.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric dermatology
- Allergology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Epidemiology of allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) in US children is poorly understood.
- Diagnostic confirmation via epicutaneous patch testing is crucial for accurate diagnosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify patch test results in US children evaluated by healthcare providers.
- To establish a baseline for pediatric ACD epidemiology.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of deidentified patch test data from the Pediatric Contact Dermatitis Registry (2015-2016).
- Inclusion of children aged 18 years or younger from 34 US states.
- Data collected from 84 participating providers.
Main Results:
- 1,142 pediatric cases analyzed.
- 65% of cases showed at least one positive patch test (PPT).
- 48% of cases had a relevant positive patch test (RPPT). Common allergens included nickel (22%), fragrance mix I (11%), and cobalt (9.1%).
Conclusions:
- The US registry validates high pediatric ACD rates.
- This database is a significant resource for future pediatric ACD research.
- Collaboration is needed to reduce common allergens in children's products.
Background:
Little is known about the epidemiology of allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) in US children. More widespread diagnostic confirmation through epicutaneous patch testing is needed.
Objective:
The aim was to quantify patch test results from providers evaluating US children.
Methods:
The study is a retrospective analysis of deidentified patch test results of children aged 18 years or younger, entered by participating providers in the Pediatric Contact Dermatitis Registry, during the first year of data collection (2015-2016).
Results:
One thousand one hundred forty-two cases from 34 US states, entered by 84 providers, were analyzed. Sixty-five percent of cases had one or more positive patch test (PPT), with 48% of cases having 1 or more relevant positive patch test (RPPT). The most common PPT allergens were nickel (22%), fragrance mix I (11%), cobalt (9.1%), balsam of Peru (8.4%), neomycin (7.2%), propylene glycol (6.8%), cocamidopropyl betaine (6.4%), bacitracin (6.2%), formaldehyde (5.7%), and gold (5.7%).
Conclusions:
This US database provides multidisciplinary information on pediatric ACD, rates of PPT, and relevant RPPT reactions, validating the high rates of pediatric ACD previously reported in the literature. The registry database is the largest comprehensive collection of US-only pediatric patch test cases on which future research can be built. Continued collaboration between patients, health care providers, manufacturers, and policy makers is needed to decrease the most common allergens in pediatric consumer products.

