Contact Allergy to Two Aluminum Salts in Consecutively Patch-Tested Dermatitis Patients.

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Allergology
• Contact Dermatitis

Background:

• Aluminum chloride hexahydrate (ACH) 10.0% petrolatum (pet) is a recommended test substance for aluminum contact allergy.
• Aluminum lactate (AL) is a potential alternative test substance with comparable reliability to ACH.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the frequency of aluminum allergy using patch testing with ACH and AL in consecutive patients.
• To compare the diagnostic utility of ACH and AL in detecting aluminum contact allergy.

Main Methods:

• Petrolatum preparations of ACH 10.0% and AL 12.0% were incorporated into baseline patch test series from 2010-2017.
• ACH 10.0% pet was specifically added to children's baseline series from July 2012 to December 2017.

Main Results:

• Out of 5448 adults, 0.9% (48) were diagnosed with aluminum contact allergy.
• In 196 children, 5.1% (10) were diagnosed with aluminum contact allergy, showing a significant difference compared to adults (P < 0.001).
• No statistically significant difference was found in contact allergy frequencies between the two aluminum salts tested.

Conclusions:

• Patch testing with both ACH and AL revealed similar frequencies of aluminum contact allergy.
• Aluminum chloride hexahydrate 10.0% petrolatum is recommended for detecting aluminum allergy.
• Consideration should be given to including ACH 10.0% pet in baseline series for both adult and pediatric patch testing.