The epidemiology of contact allergy in the general population – prevalence and main findings

Abstract

A substantial number of studies have investigated the prevalence of contact allergy in the general population and in unselected subgroups of the general population. The aim of this review was to determine a median prevalence and summarize the main findings from studies on contact allergy in the general population. Published research mainly originates from North America and Western Europe. The median prevalence of contact allergy to at least 1 allergen was 21.2% (range 12.5-40.6%), and the weighted average prevalence was 19.5%, based on data collected on all age groups and all countries between 1966 and 2007. The most prevalent contact allergens were nickel, thimerosal, and fragrance mix. The median nickel allergy prevalence was 8.6% (range 0.7-27.8%) and demonstrates that nickel was an important cause of contact allergy in the general population and that it was widespread in both men and women. Numerous studies demonstrated that pierced ears were a significant risk factor for nickel allergy. Nickel was a risk factor for hand eczema in women. Finally, heavy smoking was associated with contact allergy, mostly in women. Population-based epidemiological studies are considered a prerequisite in the surveillance of national and international contact allergy epidemics.

Stainless Steel: Material Facts for the Orthodontic Practitioner

“…Similar associations are reported by Mortz et al [54] and Todd and Burrows [55] in their researches. They also reported a higher prevalence of nickel allergy in girls, which is also reported in other papers [56,57]. Although orthodontic alloys are considered safe, there are case reports on nickel hypersensitivity caused by orthodontic appliances, both from stainless steel and nickel-titanium alloys [50,[58][59][60].…”

Nickel release from earrings purchased in the United States: The San Francisco earring study

“…1 Positive patch test reactions to nickel have been assessed in 5.8% of US adults (9% in women and 0.9% in men) 2 and in 7.6% to 12.9% of 399 US infants and children. 3,4 Furthermore, the North American Contact Dermatitis Group (NACDG) determined that 16.7% of 4913 patients were nickel sensitized in 2001 and 2002.…”

Ortodontik tedavide karşılaşılan allerjik reaksiyonlar

“…Çocukların ve kadınların teste daha pozitif cevaplar vermesi derilerinin daha az keratinize olmasına da bağla-nabilmektedir. 20 Kulağın delinmesi, 19 kutanöz piercing varlığı 21 da nikele duyarlılık gelişmesinde önemli bir risk faktörüdür. Romageura ve arkadaşları 22 yaptıkları bir ça-lışmada kulağı delinmiş bireylerde %31 nikel hassasiyet oranına karşın kulağı delinmemiş bireylerde %2 nikel hassasiyet oranı göstermiştir.…”