UTILITY OF A STANDARD ALLERGEN SERIES ALONE IN THE EVALUATION OF ALLERGIC-CONTACT-DERMATITIS - A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY OF 732 PATIENTS

Background: Patch testing remains the standard for the diagnosis of al lergic contact dermatitis. The validity and usefulness of a standard p atch test allergen series has not been addressed adequately by previou s studies, Objective: We sought to examine the utility of the standard allergen series as a sole screening tool in the diagnosis of allergic contact dermatitis, Methods: The charts of 732 patients referred for patch testing were reviewed for positive patch test results. The group of patients with positive reactions was stratified into two groups ba sed on the clinical relevance of their reactions. These groups were su bsequently analyzed To determine whether the reactions were to part of the standard series of allergens or to part of a supplementary group, Results: Of patients tested, 50% had a positive patch test, Of those, 221 (30%) had reactions deemed clinically relevant Only 23% of patien ts with positive patch tests reacted to an allergen(s) in the standard series exclusively, When adjusted for clinical relevance, only 15.7% of patients were completely evaluated with the standard series of 20 a llergens, Conclusion: The standard allergen series of 20 allergens ava ilable in the United States is limited as a screening tool when used a lone in the evaluation of patients with allergic contact dermatitis.