Is contact allergy to disperse dyes and related substances associated with textile dermatitis?

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Disperse dyes (DDs) are the most common sensitizers among textile dyes, but there is little knowledge of the clinical relevance of positive patch test reactions.

OBJECTIVE:

To investigate if patient-reported textile-related skin problems can be explained by contact allergy to eight different DDs and/or to chemically related substances, by occupation or by atopic constitution, and if the skin problems are influenced by age or sex.

METHODS:

A questionnaire on textile-related skin problems was answered by 858 of 982 consecutively patch tested patients in Malmö, Sweden and in Leuven, Belgium. The baseline series used for patch testing was supplemented with a textile dye mix (TDM) consisting of the eight DDs and with the separate dyes. The association between textile-related skin problems and contact allergy to the DDs and other risk factors was investigated using multiple logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS:

Eighteen per cent of the patients suspected textiles as a cause of their skin problems. Atopic constitution and female sex were risk factors for skin reactions. Synthetic materials were the most common textiles to give skin problems. A significant association was found between self-reported textile-related skin problems and contact allergy to para-phenylenediamine (PPD) [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 2.1; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.0-4.3]. A similar, but more imprecise, adjusted OR was found for TDM (OR 1.9; 95% CI 0.57-5.6). Contact allergy to black rubber mix was too rare to be evaluated.

CONCLUSIONS:

Contact allergy to PPD was a more prevalent indicator for skin reactions to textiles than the TDM used in this study.

• Authors: K Ryberg, A Goossens, M Isaksson, B Gruvberger, E Zimerson, F Nilsson, J Björk, M Hindsén, M Bruze
• Journal: The British journal of dermatology (Br J Dermatol) Vol. 160 Issue 1 Pg. 107-15 (Jan 2009) ISSN: 1365-2133 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 19067698 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Multicenter Study, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Coloring Agents
• Phenylenediamines
• black rubber
• 2-Naphthylamine
• 4-phenylenediamine

Topics

• 2-Naphthylamine (adverse effects, analogs & derivatives)
• Adolescent
• Adult
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Belgium (epidemiology)
• Coloring Agents (adverse effects)
• Dermatitis, Allergic Contact (epidemiology, etiology, immunology)
• Dermatitis, Occupational (epidemiology, etiology, immunology)
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Patch Tests (methods)
• Phenylenediamines (adverse effects, immunology)
• Risk Factors
• Surveys and Questionnaires
• Sweden (epidemiology)
• Textiles (adverse effects)
• Young Adult