Contact Allergy - Occurrence and Susceptibility

Contact allergy is a commonly acquired immunological condition. It is caused by exposure of the skin to certain substances in the environment. Besides, individual susceptibility also plays a role. This thesis focuses on the diagnosis of contact allergy and exposure to allergens (particularly scented products). In addition, an element of individual susceptibility to contact allergy is evaluated. We examined the added value of a second (late) patch reading and found that in 13.6% of patients a positive patch test response to at least one contact allergen would have been missed if a second (late) reading had not been performed. This was especially true for allergens found in topical medications other than topical corticosteroids, in topical corticosteroids and in metals. A major source of exposure to environmental substances is scented products. Therefore, we studied exposure to scented products and the association between exposure to scented products and the occurrence of contact allergy to fragrances in the general European population. We found that exposure to scented products that remain on the skin for a long time is associated with fragrance contact allergy. In addition, we examined a few patients where the allergen responsible for contact dermatitis was present in seemingly innocent products, such as a hospital wristband or toothpaste. In the second part of the thesis, we investigated the expression pattern of the enzyme N-acetyltransferase in healthy human skin. We found expression in the nucleus, perinuclear and in the cytosol. Expression was strongest in the stratum basale.

Proefschrift: http://hdl.handle.net/11370/6bfbddb0-f02f-48b3-9a5a-83ee2883e4e9