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Little is known about the prognosis of facial allergic contact dermatitis (FACD). The objective of the study was to investigate the prevalence and 1-year outcome of FACD in patients patch tested. 655 consecutive patients patch tested with European standard series in Peking University Hospital in a 2-year period were studied. At 1 year after testing, all patients were asked a revisit and prognosis of FACD was assessed by the rates of clearance of dermatitis, relapse, and improvement at the final evaluation. Of 599 patients examined, 92 were affected by FACD. All their dermatitis improved. The clearance rate was 55.4%, which was much higher than that (23.1%) of other patients tested in the same period ( P < 0.05, chi-square test); however, the relapse rate was also high (42.4%). Concurrence of atopic diathesis, icthyosis, or drug allergy history had no influence on the clearance rates. The clearance rate was significantly lower (40.9%) in patients with disease duration over 3 months before testing. FACD is common among patients patch tested and has a better prognosis than other eczema. Patients with suspected FACD should be tested early and more work is needed to decrease the relapse rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study that determines the prevalence of contact sensitization to textile dyes in a non-patient population and in eczema patients patch tested in a tertiary hospital in Beijing, China. The study shows lower total positivity rate for patch testing with the baseline series of allergens in volunteers than that for patients. It found no significant difference in the prevalence of contact sensitization to any allergens between volunters and patients.

The article presents a study to find the pervasiveness of contact sensitization in university students in Beijing and to find the link in the prevalence of delayed hypersensitivity between eczema patients and a non-patient population. Volunteers from Peking University were recruited by stating that healthy volunteers were needed to test for the frequency of allergic reactions to common environmental allergens. Two hundred and five volunteers were patch tested.