Comparison of patch testing results between job related and non job related allergic contact dermatitis in Iran

Abstract

Background: Job-related allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) mayprolong the disease duration, increase disabilities, and decreasethe patient's quality of life. The aim of this study was to determinecommon allergens causing ACD, investigating certain featuresof the disease and evaluating its relation to the patients' jobs.Method: In this cross-sectional study, relevant data was obtainedfrom patch test clinics at the Center for Research and Trainingin Skin Diseases and Leprosy, Tehran University of MedicalSciences, and two private dermatology clinics in Tehran, Iran.Nine hundred and forty six patients from different regions of Iranwith a probable diagnosis of ACD were recruited into the study.Patch testing was used as the gold standard test to differentiateACD from other differential diagnoses.Result: Of 946 studied patients with a probable diagnosis ofACD, 649 (68.6%) cases were females. The mean age ± standarddeviation (SD) of the patients was 31.9 ± 12.3 years. Five hundredand twenty eight (55.7%) cases had positive patch test results toat least one tested allergen. Comparing job-related and non jobrelatedACD patients revealed that while there was a significantdifference in the mean age of the two group (30.6 ± 11.3 vs.32.7 ± 12.9 years in job-related and non-job-related groups,respectively) (P=0.016), there were no significant differences inthe gender distribution, number of positive patch tests, frequencyof allergens, reaction time, and severity of reactions between thetwo groups. Nickel sulphate and cobalt chloride were the twomost common allergens in both groups.Conclusion: Job-related patients were younger and most of themwere female compared to non job-related patients. However,other characteristics were not different between the two groups.