Contact allergy mimicking trench foot infection: a case study

Abstract

Hard-to-heal wounds are a major cause of morbidity and/or mortality. Multiple aetiologies can be identified and wounds can be treated according to their aetiology and macroscopic appearance. However, evidence behind the wide range of locally applied treatments is weak, without clear guidelines available to treat a variety of wound aetiologies. We present the case of a 63-year-old male with hard-to-heal wounds not responding to standard topical treatment. No clear underlying aetiology could be found. Extensive contact allergies were diagnosed after multiple topical and systemic treatments had been applied. A full recovery was observed after stopping topical agents and treating the wounds with an alternative treatment based on epicutaneous test results.

Keywords: chronic; contact allergy; epicutaneous tests; hard-to-heal; infection; topical treatment; trench foot infection; wound; wound care; wound dressing; wound healing.