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Multicenter Study
. 2021 Dec;85(6):643-649.
doi: 10.1111/cod.13956. Epub 2021 Aug 29.

Evolution of methylisothiazolinone sensitization: A Belgian multicentric study from 2014 to 2019

Anne Herman  1   2 , Olivier Aerts  3 , Marie-Claude Jacobs  4 , Christel Scheers  5 , Liesbeth Gilissen  6   7 , An Goossens  6 , Marie Baeck  1   2
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Evolution of methylisothiazolinone sensitization: A Belgian multicentric study from 2014 to 2019

Anne Herman et al. Contact Dermatitis. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

Background: In the 2010s an epidemic of allergic contact dermatitis to methylisothiazolinone (MI) occurred in Europe. European authorities banned the use of methylisothiazolinone in leave-on cosmetics in 2017 and limited its use in rinse-off products in 2018.

Objectives: To investigate the sensitization rate to MI in Belgium between January 2014 and December 2019, and to assess cosensitizations to octylisothiazolinone (OIT) and benzisothiazolinone (BIT) in MI-sensitized patients.

Methods: A retrospective study of patch test results with MI, OIT, and BIT observed in patients attending five Belgian hospitals.

Results: Overall, 560 of 10 029 patients (5.58%) had a positive patch test reaction to MI, and its sensitization rate decreased from 7.9% in 2014 to 3.1% in 2019. Rinse-off cosmetics, paints, and detergents were the most prevalent sensitization sources in recent years. Simultaneous reactions readily occurred to OIT, and, surprisingly, and increasingly, also to BIT.

Conclusions: Contact allergy to MI in Belgium has reached a pre-epidemic level, reflecting the impact of recent regulatory measures. Leave-on cosmetics, in contrast to rinse-off products, have almost disappeared as sensitization sources in Europe. Paints and detergents also remain problematic. The remarkably high number of patients (co)sensitized to BIT should be a focus of future research.

Keywords: allergic contact dermatitis; benzisothiazolinone; cosmetics; cross-reaction; detergents; epidemic; legislation; methylisothiazolinone; octylisothiazolinone; paints.

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References

REFERENCES

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