Contact allergy to oxidized d-limonene among dermatitis patients.

d-Limonene, obtained as a by-product from the citrus juice industry, was introduced on the market as a more environmentally friendly defatting and cleaning agent than the traditionally used organic solvents. Autoxidation of d-limonene readily occurs to give a variety of oxygenated monocyclic terpenes that are strong contact allergens. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of contact allergy to air exposed d-limonene among dermatitis patients.

Corticosteroid contact allergy: an EECDRG multicentre study.

This article describes the results of an EECDRG multicentre study on contact allergy to corticosteroids. A total of 7238 patients were investigated: 6238 in 13 centres in the course of 1993, and 1000 patients in 1 centre in 1993 and 1994. The 5 corticosteroids tested were budesonide 0.

Sensitization studies with mometasone furoate, tixocortol pivalate, and budesonide in the guinea pig.

Mometasone furoate is a new corticosteroid, synthesized to have an improved ratio of anti-inflammatory potential to adverse effects. The guinea pig maximization test was used to determine the sensitizing capacity of mometasone furoate, and also to investigate cross-reaction patterns in animals sensitized to tixocortol pivalate and budesonide, respectively. Tixocortol pivalate was shown to be a sensitizer in the guinea pig, but cross-reactions to other tested corticosteroids were not observed.

Patch testing with fragrances: results of a multicenter study of the European Environmental and Contact Dermatitis Research Group with 48 frequently used constituents of perfumes.

The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of reactivity to a series of commonly used fragrances in dermatological patients. A total of 48 fragrances (FF) were chosen, based on the publication of Fenn in 1989 in which the top 25 constituents of 3 types (1. perfumes, 2.

Contact allergy to imidazoles used as antimycotic agents.

The present article reviews the literature (up to 1994) on contact sensitivity to imidazoles and presents the results obtained from 15 patients observed at the Contact Allergy Unit in Leuven. The frequency as well as the cross-reaction patterns described are analyzed. Although allergic contact reactions may have been missed in the past (mainly because of problems with the correct choice of vehicle for patch testing), they seem to be relatively infrequent in view of their widespread use.

Sensitisation to corticosteroids. Consequences for anti-inflammatory therapy.

The frequency with which sensitisation to corticosteroids occurs is under-recognised, and depends on factors such as the type and amount of corticosteroid used, the awareness of the need to test for corticosteroid sensitivity and the methods used to do so. Topically applied corticosteroids, in particular, but also inhalation and systemic corticosteroids may cause allergic reactions. The clinical picture as well as the patch test reactions can be deceptive.

Contact allergy to allyl glycidyl ether present as an impurity in 3-glycidyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, a fixing additive in silicone and polyurethane resins.

We present a 43-year-old man who worked in the plastics industry and who suffered from an occupational dermatitis on the hands and forearms. He was found to be allergic to an epoxy silane compound that was contaminated with allyl glycidyl ether, a reactive epoxy diluent. HPLC analysis and patch testing indicated that this impurity was probably the only sensitizer.

The influence of patch tests with clobetasol propionate on adjacent patch test reactions.

Contact allergy to corticosteroids now seems frequent among patients being patch tested. As corticosteroids are intrinsically anti-inflammatory, we investigated whether patch tests with a potent corticosteroid might suppress simultaneous adjacent patch test reactions to another allergen. Nickel-sensitive subjects were patch tested with an aqueous dilution series of nickel in duplicate, adjacent to patch tests with clobetasol propionate 1% in ethanol and with ethanol, respectively.

The chemistry of contact allergy: why is a molecule allergenic?

This review concentrates on some specific aspects of the chemistry of allergic contact dermatitis. The way low molecular weight chemicals react with skin proteins to form complete antigens will be discussed and the development of molecular modelling techniques to analyse molecular recognition presented. Subsequently, how knowledge of the chemical structure can be used to estimate the allergenic activity of a molecule will be considered.

Studies in patients with corticosteroid contact allergy. Understanding cross-reactivity among different steroids.

Background And Design: Most corticosteroid-allergic patients react to several corticosteroids. Irrefutable proof for the existence of cross-reactions is provided by reactions to substances to which the patient has never been exposed. Four groups of cross-reactions have been proposed, and our own observations support this.

Protein contact dermatitis: myth or reality?

Protein contact dermatitis is a dermatosis which usually presents as a chronic eczema with episodic acute exacerbations a few minutes after contact with the offending allergen. Patch tests with the responsible allergen are usually negative, and the diagnosis can only be made by means of scratch or prick tests with the allergen. Sometimes, specific IgE antibodies can be detected in the blood.