GOLD DERMATITIS DUE TO EAR PIERCING - CORRELATIONS BETWEEN GOLD AND MERCURY HYPERSENSITIVITIES

A case of allergic contact dermatitis due to gold pierced earrings is reported. The patient developed recurring redness and swelling on her earlobes a month after the wearing of pierced-type gold earrings, whic h was followed by the appearance of reddish nodules around the punctur e marks. Patch tests revealed positive reactions to 0.1% mercuric chlo ride, 1% gold sodium thiomalate and 0.2% chloroauric acid. We also dem onstrated that guinea pigs contact-sensitized with a mercuric compound developed positive patch test reactions to both mercuric and gold com pounds. These results suggest that there may be correlations between g old and mercury hypersensitivities.