Hand eczema in glove-wearing patients

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Allergology
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Allergic contact dermatitis from gloves is primarily caused by rubber accelerators.
• The European Baseline Series (EBS) is insufficient for diagnosing glove allergy.
• Current recommendations include using the European Rubber Series (ERS) and testing patient-specific gloves.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the clinical profile of hand eczema (HE) in glove-wearing patients.
• To assess sensitization profiles to glove allergens.
• To evaluate the diagnostic value of testing patients' own gloves.

Main Methods:

• A French multicenter study included 279 patients with HE from 2018-2020.
• Patients underwent patch testing with EBS, ERS, and their own gloves.
• Semi-open (SO) tests were also performed on patient-provided gloves.

Main Results:

• 32.6% of patients showed positive reactions to their gloves or glove allergens.
• The ERS detected nearly 45% of glove allergen sensitizations missed by the EBS.
• SO tests identified positive reactions in 28% of patients who were negative with standard patch tests on their own gloves.

Conclusions:

• The study confirms the necessity of utilizing the ERS for diagnosing glove allergies.
• Testing patients' own gloves, including Polyvinylchloride (PVC) types, is essential.
• Semi-open (SO) testing with gloves offers valuable complementary diagnostic information to standard patch tests.