Background:
The relationship between atopic dermatitis and allergic contact dermatitis is
frequently debated, particularly in children. The impaired skin barrier of atopic subjects can facilitate
the penetration of exogenous agents and its mutations in the filaggrin gene might be implicated in an
increased risk to develop contact dermatitis. Moreover, atopic children are protractedly exposed to
chemical substances contained in skin care products from an early age.
Patients And Methods:
The aim of this retrospective study is to determine if atopic children are more
prone to allergic contact dermatitis and which substances are more frequently related to this disease.
From 2014 to 2016, a total of 268 children under 14 years with a history of eczematous dermatitis, of
whom 141 (52.6%) were affected, and 127 (47.4%) were not affected by AD, underwent patch testing
with the baseline S.I.D.A.P.A standard series.
Results:
Based on the results of our study, the prevalence of contact allergy in atopic children is comparable
to that noted in non-atopic children. The most frequent causes of contact allergy in children are
fragrances, and their prevalence is significantly higher in atopic children (19.9%) than in non-atopic
ones, (11.8%; p < .05).
Conclusion:
Our study highlights the importance of patch testing in atopic children for continuously
monitoring the trends and changes of contact allergies that are a common disease and is even significantly
increasing for some allergens, as fragrances. We may speculate that the protracted use of skincare
products, associated with the impaired skin barrier of atopic children, enhances the risk of sensitization
to the ingredients of these products.
Allergic contact dermatitis in atopic dermatitis
