Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 5, 2026

A Protocol for Constructing a Rat Wound Model of Type 1 Diabetes
Published on: February 17, 2023
Contact dermatitis caused by glucose sensors in diabetic children
Anne Herman1, Anne-Sophie Darrigade1, Laurence de Montjoye1
1Department of Dermatology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
Background:
Allergic contact dermatitis caused by glucose sensors has been recently described in diabetics, mostly in adult patients. Isobornyl acrylate and N-N dimethylacrylamide are the potent causative agents.
Objectives:
To describe a child population with contact dermatitis caused by glucose sensors, determine the causative allergen, and assess the prevalence of isobornyl acrylate (IBOA) sensitization.
Patients And Methods:
Overall, 12 children with a reaction to medical devices, either glucose sensors or insulin sets, were patch tested with the European baseline series, glues and rubber, (meth) acrylates series, and with piece of the adhesive part of the glucose sensor FreeStyle Libre. Isobornyl acrylate 0.1% pet. was patch tested in 11 patients, and N-N dimethylacrylamide in two. Some patients were tested with adhesive parts of the infusion set.
Results:
Overall, 10 children reacted to the adhesive part of the sensor FreeStyle Libre, and 10 children were sensitized to IBOA. One patient turned out to be negative in all patch tests.
Conclusion:
Allergic contact dermatitis caused by glucose sensors is common in the pediatric diabetic patient population. Like in the adult patient population, IBOA was the culprit allergen, with 83.3% sensitization prevalence in children exhibiting adverse cutaneous reactions caused by FreeStyle Libre.
Related Concept Videos
Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2 and Gestational
Diabetes: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Complications
Diabetes Mellitus: Overview and Type I Subtype
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. As a result, the body is unable to produce sufficient insulin, and individuals with...
Hypoglycemia and Glucagon
Pathophysiology of Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by autoimmune-mediated destruction of pancreatic β cells, with environmental factors potentially triggering this process in genetically susceptible individuals. Despite many not having a family history, certain genes increase susceptibility,...
Glucose Transporters
Facilitated diffusion-glucose transporters (GLUTs) are encoded by the solute-linked carrier (SLC) family 2, subfamily A gene family, or SLC2A. The 14 GLUT protein members are distributed into three classes:

