COMMON CONTACT SENSITIZERS IN CHANDIGARH, INDIA - A STUDY OF 200 PATIENTS WITH THE EUROPEAN STANDARD SERIES

200 patients (122 male, 78 female) with suspected allergic contact der matitis were patch tested with the European standard series (ESS) and the results compared with other Asian centres. 131 (65.5%) patients sh owed 1 or more patch test positives to the ESS. Patch tests were posit ive to all allergens except primin. Potassium dichromate was the most common allergen (20.5%) followed by nickel sulfate (16.5%), SQL mix (1 4%), PPD (11.5%), cobalt (8%), fragrance mix (7.5%), formaldehyde (6.5 %), colophony (5.5%), neomycin sulfate and mercapto mix (5% each). In women, nickel sulfate was the commonest allergen (30.8%) followed by S QL mix (16.7%) and potassium dichromate (15.4%). In men, potassium dic hromate was the commonest sensitizer (23.8%) followed by SQL mix and P PD (12.3% each). Our results are at variance with other centres in Asi a. SQL mix was able to detect less than 1/2 (42.2%) of patients allerg ic to ethanolic dilutions of ether extracts of parthenium. We conclude that the European standard series, with exclusion of primin, is suita ble for detection of allergic contact dermatitis in India. However, SQ L mix is not a adequate screen for parthenium sensitivity and patch te sting with extracts of the plant should be continued, wherever indicat ed. (C) Munkssgaard, 1998.