Tobacco-induced contact dermatitis

Abstract

Tobacco and tobacco smoke are strongly associated with various skin conditions, among which contact dermatitis is of prime importance. The aetiological and clinical aspects vary according to the different tobacco production and processing steps. Contact dermatitis is frequent in tobacco harvesters, curers and cigar makers, whereas it rarely affects smokers and, only exceptionally, cigarette packaging workers. The skin sites involved also vary, according to whether the exposure is occupational or non-occupational. Tobacco contact irritation is far more frequent than contact allergy. The sensitizing compound in tobacco is unknown; nicotine, while highly toxic, does not seem to cause sensitization, except in rare cases. Besides natural substances, several compounds are added to tobacco during processing and manufacturing. For this reason, identifying the aetiological factors is exceedingly difficult. Another important aspect to take into account is the co-causative role of tobacco in eliciting or exacerbating contact dermatitis in response to other agents, occupational or extra-occupational.

Tobacco Smoke Induces and Alters Immune Responses in the Lung Triggering Inflammation, Allergy, Asthma and Other Lung Diseases: A Mechanistic Review

“…This Th2/Th17 polarization emphasizes the capacity of cigarette smoke to promote the development of atopic dermatitis. Furthermore, cigarette smoke is strongly associated with contact dermatitis [ 63 ]. It is attributable to the metal constituents of smoke fume, which act as an adjuvant in immune response to allergens and stimulate sensitization [ 64 ].…”

The Overview of Green Tobacco Sickness Among Tobacco Farmers in Jember District, Indonesia

“…Tobacco cultivation reduces soil fertility through the absorption of nutrients, involves intensive use of highly polluting pesticides, disturbs the ecosystem through deforestation, and releases nicotine into the environment, which is toxic to humans (Masanotti, Abbafati, Petrella, Vinciguerra, & Stracci, 2019). The main toxic substances found in tobacco leaves are alkaloids, nicotine and its metabolites, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), such as benzopyrene (Bonamonte et al, 2016;Matthes & Zatoński, 2019). Nicotine contained in tobacco leaves can cause GTS, which can be detected through urine tests for cotinine as a biomarker .…”

Biomonitoring of Nicotine Exposure in Tobacco Farmers with Green Tobacco Sickness Symptoms

“…Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) belongs to the Solanacaee family, which is an annual herbaceous plant that grows to a height of 1-3 meters. This plant is native to South America, but is cultivated in many countries in the world (Bonamonte et al, 2016). In Indonesia, tobacco plantations are spread in almost all regions of the country, with its domination in East Java, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), Central Java, and West Java.…”

“…Tobacco leaves contain chemical compounds that qualitatively and quantitatively depend on several factors such as plant hybrid conditions, climate and soil, leaf height, harvest time and method, type of drying (air or humidity), plant age, and leaf fermentation method and duration. One of the chemical compounds is nicotine (Bonamonte et al, 2016).…”