CONTACT-DERMATITIS FROM FATTY ALCOHOLS

The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of sensitizatio n to fatty alcohols in a group of patients with suspected cosmetic or medicament contact dermatitis. From May 1992 to September 1995, we pat ch tested a series of 5 fatty alcohols on 146 patients. These included 108 females and 38 males aged from 13 to 72 years (mean age 42.5). Th ese patients, who had previously been tested with the GIRDCA standard series, were selected because their clinical lesions or histories indi cated topical preparations as the possible source of their contact der matitis. High-grade fatty alcohols (>99% pure) were used for testing. 34 patients (23.2%), 25 female and 9 male aged from 14 to 72 years, sh owed a positive patch test to fatty alcohols, 33 of them to oleyl alco hol. A total of 39 reactions were detected with 5 patients showing mor e than 1 positive reaction. Our results show that sensitization to ole yl alcohol is not rare in patients with contact dermatitis due to cosm etics or topical medicaments. (C) Munksgaard, 1996.