Incidence Monitoring of Contact Sensitization to Selected Adjuvants in Dermatologic Topical Medications and Cosmetics in Patients with Eczema – Results and Conclusions of a grant project

Overview

In a group of nine hundred patients (mean age 43.6 years) with chronic eczema (males 289, females 611) examined in years 2001–2003 the frequency of sensitization to 28 selected adjuvants of topical dermatologic medications and cosmetics was evaluated by the method of skin patch tests. Four hundred, i.e. 44.4% of patients was sensitized to at least one tested adjuvants. Clinical relevance was 32%. According to the frequency of sensitization the most significant additives were Thiomersal (12.4%), phenylmercuryacetate (5.4%), lanolin alcohols (5.3%), formaldehyde (2.5%), dibromdicyanobutan/phenoxyethanol (2.5%), bronopol (2.2%) and chloracetamide (2.1%). From the view of clinical relevance the most important adjuvants were lanolin alcohols, formaldehyde, paraben mix, dibromdicyanobutan/phenoxyethanol, chloracetamide, Kathon CG and diazolidinylurea. In the group of patients with the primary diagnosis of atopic eczema (n 337) the frequency of sensitization to adjuvants was significantly lower compared with the group of nonatopic patients (n 563). The most frequent sources of sensitization were drugs 44.7%, cosmetics 31.2%, agents used in industry 7.8% and health care 2.2%, in 14.1% the source was unknown. The database informating about a adjuvants content in drugs and cosmetics accessible on the web page of the Czech Society of Dermatovenereology (CSD CMS JEP) www.lfhk.cuni.cz/dermat/ was created.

Key words:
contact sensitivity – adjuvants – preservatives – antioxidants