Pruritus is a common feature of psoriasis and affects quality of life.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was first recognized in February 2003. It is the first severe and readily transmissible new disease to emerge in the 21st century. Healthcare workers in affected countries were exposed to the regular use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as the N95 mask, gloves, and gowns. Our aim was to study the prevalence of adverse skin reactions to PPE among healthcare workers in Singapore during the SARS outbreak. Healthcare staff in the National Skin Centre and Tan Tock Seng Hospital were surveyed using questionnaires. Of those asked to participate, 322 (94.7%) agreed. 14.3% of the respondents were doctors, 73.0% nurses, and 12.7% other ancillary staff. Mean age of respondents was 32.4 years, with the majority being women (85.7%) and Chinese (53.7%). 109 (35.5%) of the 307 staff who used masks regularly reported acne (59.6%), facial itch (51.4%), and rash (35.8%) from N95 mask use. 64 (21.4%) of the 299 who used gloves regularly reported dry skin (73.4%), itch (56.3%), and rash (37.5%). The use of PPE is associated with high rates of adverse skin reactions. There is a need to find suitable alternatives for affected staff and to encourage awareness among staff of the role of dermatologists in their care.

The study provided a detailed description of pruritus in atopic dermatitis with new data on affective and sensory dimensions and associated symptoms. The questionnaire was found to be a useful tool in characterization of itch.

Contact allergy to dental allergens is a well-studied subject, more so among dental professionals than dental patients. 1632 subjects had been patch tested to either the dental patient series or dental personnel series at the department of Occupational and Environmental Dermatology, Malmö, Sweden. Positive patch tests to (meth)acrylate allergens were seen in 2.3% (30/1322) of the dental patients and 5.8% (18/310) of the dental personnel. The most common allergen for both groups was 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (2-HEMA), followed by ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), triethyleneglycol dimethacrylate, and methyl methacrylate. 47 (29 dental patients and 18 dental personnel) out of these 48 had positive patch tests to 2-HEMA. All 30 subjects who had a positive reaction to EGDMA had a simultaneous positive reaction to 2-HEMA. One dental patient reacted only to 2,2-bis[4-(2-hydroxy-3-methacryloxypropoxy) phenyl]propane (bis-GMA). From our data, screening for (meth)acrylate contact allergy with 2-HEMA alone would have picked up 96.7% (29/30) of our (meth)acrylate-allergic dental patients and 100% (18/18) of our (meth)acrylate-allergic dental personnel. The addition of bis-GMA in dental patients would increase the pick-up rate to 100%.