Is contact allergy in man lifelong? An overview of patch test follow-ups

In contradistinction from certain strains of mice, contact allergy in man i s hypothesized to be either lifelong or at least to last for years. We exam ined follow-up studies on contact allergy, as evaluated by patch testing, a ttempting to quantify its natural history. The allergens include colophoniu m, gold sodium thiosulfate, nickel, and cobalt. At present, due to technica l limitations, we cannot state in quantitative terms whether contact allerg y in man is lifelong and whether its clinical manifestations change. Thus, we list some criteria for future studies which may help resolve the above q uestion.