Contact Allergy to Preservatives and Emulsifiers in Patients With or Without Atopic Dermatitis

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Allergology
• Contact Dermatitis

Background:

• Atopic dermatitis (AD) affects 20% of children and 10% of adults globally.
• Impaired skin barrier in AD may increase susceptibility to contact allergies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate contact allergy prevalence to preservatives and emulsifiers in AD patients versus non-AD patients.
• To assess the clinical relevance of these allergies between 2006 and 2023.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 7936 patients patch tested with preservatives and emulsifiers.
• Data collected from the Department of Dermatology and Allergy Centre, Odense University Hospital, Denmark.

Main Results:

• No overall association found between AD and contact allergy to preservatives.
• AD patients showed higher allergy rates to 2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1,3-Diol (1.8% vs 0.6%) and decyl glucoside (14.3% vs 3.1%).
• Non-AD patients had higher allergy rates to benzisothiazolinone (15.4% vs 8.1%).

Conclusions:

• No overall increased risk of contact allergy to preservatives in AD patients.
• Specific differences noted for 2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1,3-Diol, decyl glucoside, and benzisothiazolinone allergies.