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Multicenter Study
. 2021 Feb;84(2):109-120.
doi: 10.1111/cod.13704. Epub 2020 Oct 7.

Patch test results with the European baseline series and additions thereof in the ESSCA network, 2015-2018

Wolfgang Uter  1 , Andrea Bauer  2 , Anna Belloni Fortina  3 , Andreas J Bircher  4   5 , Richard Brans  6 , Timo Buhl  7 , Susan M Cooper  8 , Magdalena Czarnecka-Operacz  9 , Heinrich Dickel  10 , Aleksandra Dugonik  11 , Johannes Geier  12 , Ana M Giménez-Arnau  13 , Margarida Gonçalo  14 , Jeanne D Johansen  15 , Graham A Johnston  16 , Vera Mahler  17 , Thomas Rustemeyer  18 , Javier Sanchez-Perez  19 , Marie L A Schuttelaar  20 , Dagmar Simon  21 , Radoslaw Spiewak  22 , Skaidra Valiukevičienė  23 , Elke Weisshaar  24 , Ian R White  25 , Mark Wilkinson  26 ; ESSCA Working Group
Collaborators, Affiliations
Free article
Multicenter Study

Patch test results with the European baseline series and additions thereof in the ESSCA network, 2015-2018

Wolfgang Uter et al. Contact Dermatitis. 2021 Feb.
Free article

Abstract

Background: Clinical surveillance of the prevalence of contact allergy in consecutively patch tested patients is a proven instrument to continually assess the importance of contact allergens (haptens) assembled in a baseline series.

Objectives: To present current results from the European Surveillance System on Contact Allergies, including 13 countries represented by 1 to 11 departments.

Methods: Anonymized or pseudonymized patch test and clinical data from various data capture systems used locally or nationally as transferred to the Erlangen data centre were pooled and descriptively analysed after quality control.

Results: In the 4 years (2015-2018), data from 51 914 patients patch tested with the European baseline series (EBS) of contact allergens were analysed. Contact allergy to nickel was most frequent (17.6% positive), followed by contact allergy to fragrance mix I (6.9%), methylisothiazolinone (MI; 6.2%), and Myroxylon pereirae resin (balsam of Peru; 5.8%).

Conclusions: While the prevalence of MI contact allergy decreased substantially following regulatory intervention, the persistently high levels of allergy to metals, fragrances, other preservatives, and rubber chemicals point to problems needing further research and, potentially, preventive efforts. Results with national additions to the baseline series provide important information on substances possibly to be considered for inclusion in the EBS.

Keywords: RRID:SCR_001905; clinical epidemiology; contact allergy; patch testing; surveillance.

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References

REFERENCES

    1. Uter W, Schnuch A, Giménez-Arnau A, Orton D, Statham B. Databases and networks: the benefit for research and quality assurance in patch testing. In: Johansen JD, Mahler V, Lepoittevin J-P, Frosch PJ, eds. Contact Dermatitis. 6th ed. Springer; 2020:1-16.
    1. DeKoven JG, Warshaw EM, Zug KA, et al. North American contact dermatitis group patch test results: 2015-2016. Dermatitis. 2018;29(6):297-309.
    1. Uter W, Amario-Hita JC, Balato A, et al. European surveillance system on contact allergies (ESSCA): results with the European baseline series, 2013/14. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2017;31(9):1516-1525.
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    1. Uter W, Schnuch A, Wilkinson M, Dugonik A, Dugonik B, Ganslandt T. Registries in clinical epidemiology: the European surveillance system on contact allergies (ESSCA). Methods Inf Med. 2016;55(2):193-199.

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