Patch test materials for mercury allergic contact dermatitis.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to define adequate patch test materials to evaluate mercury allergic contact dermatitis. We applied 0.1% and 0.05% mercuric chloride, and 0.5% and 0.2% mercury in petrolatum to systemic eczematous contact-type dermatitis (baboon syndrome), and gold-dermatitis patients. All baboon-syndrome patients reacted not only to mercuric chloride but also to metallic mercury. In gold-dermatitis patients, significantly more patients reacted to mercuric chloride than to metallic mercury (21 of 35, 60%, versus 2 of 19, 10.5%, p < 0.0005). We speculated that sensitization to mercury may be of 2 types: one a reaction to ionized mercury only, the other to both ionized mercury and non-ionized mercury. The possibility that the phenomenon is caused by differences in bioavailability or percutaneous penetration between ionized and non-ionized mercury cannot be ruled out, but could be explored by penetration measurement. For the evaluation of mercury hypersensitivity, it may be more reliable to apply both ionized and non-ionized mercury, rather than only mercuric chloride or ammoniated mercury.

• Authors: T Nakada, N Higo, M Iijima, H Nakayama, H I Maibach
• Journal: Contact dermatitis (Contact Dermatitis) Vol. 36 Issue 5 Pg. 237-9 (May 1997) ISSN: 0105-1873 [Print] England
• PMID: 9197956 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Gold Compounds
• Mercury Compounds
• gold chloride
• Mercuric Chloride
• Mercury

Topics

• Adult
• Case-Control Studies
• Dermatitis, Allergic Contact (diagnosis, epidemiology, etiology)
• Facial Dermatoses (chemically induced, diagnosis, epidemiology)
• Female
• Gold Compounds (adverse effects)
• Humans
• Japan (epidemiology)
• Mercuric Chloride (adverse effects)
• Mercury (adverse effects)
• Mercury Compounds (adverse effects)
• Patch Tests (methods)
• Sensitivity and Specificity
• Syndrome