Alergia kontaktowa u dzieci szkolnych z objawami wyprysku.

Introduction. Until recently, allerguc contact dermatitis (ACD) in childhood had been diagnosed too rarely. Aim of the study. To analyze the frequency of contact allergies among Polish children with symptoms of eczema. Material and methods. In 2007, during a prophylactic health programme in Krakow (Poland) schoolchildren wre questioned about the presence of allergy symptoms. Among those with dermatitis, 2008 underwent patch testing, including 96 pupils (42 boys and 54 girls) aged 7 and 112 (24 boys and 88 girls) aged 16. Patch tests were carried out with 10 haptens: Chloromethylisothiazolinone, Nickel sulfate, Mercury ammonium chloride, Themerosal, Cobalt chloride, Potassium dichromate, Wool alcohols, Fragrance mix, Balsam of Peru and Colophony, with a test reading after 48 and 75 h. Results. 101 of the 2008 tested children (48.5%) were found patch test positive. Among 96 children aged 7, 44% positive patch tests were recorded, most frequently for: nickel (30%), thimerosal (10%), cobalt (8%), fragrance mix (7%), Kathon CG (6%), chromium (6%), balsam of Peru (3%), mercury ammonium choride (2%), and colophony (1%). Among 112 teenagers, 53% positive patch test results were recorded, with sensitization to: nickel (26%), cobalt (12%), fragrance mix (7%), chromium (6%), mercury ammonium chloride (2%), Kathon CG and balsam of Peru (each 1%). The final diagonosis of ACD was confirmed in 36% of 7-years-olds and 28% 16-years-olds. Conculusions. The patch test is an indispensable element of eczema diagonosis in children. In future epidemiological studies of eczema in children, allergic contact dermatitis should be among the considered diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]