The following is a summary of “Hand and foot dermatitis in patients referred for patch testing: Analysis of North American Contact Dermatitis Group Data, 2001-2018,” published in the November 2022 issue of Dermatology by Silverberg, et al.
Atopic dermatitis, irritant contact dermatitis, and allergic contact dermatitis were just a few of the many etiologies for dermatitis that were limited to the hands (HD), feet (FD), or both hands and feet (HFD). Regrettably, the clinical distinctions between people with HD, FD, and HFD needed to be understood. Therefore, for a study, researchers sought to describe the variations in demographics, etiology, and patch-testing outcomes among individuals referred for patch-testing who had HD, FD, or HFD.
The North American Contact Dermatitis Group reviewed individuals who underwent patch testing between 2001 and 2018.
About 22.8%, 2.9%, and 3.7% of the 43,677 patients who underwent patch testing had HD, FD, and HFD, respectively. All 3 research groups saw a comparable proportion of allergic and currently applicable patch test responses to the screening allergen for ≥1 North American Contact Dermatitis Group. However, compared to HFD (8.9%) or FD (4.0%), HD (18.0%) exhibited greater proportions of occupationally relevant responses. The top 5 allergens that were significant for HD, FD, and HFD were nickel and fragrance mix I. Allergen sources and other major allergens varied between HD, FD, and HFD. There was no information on the morphology or distribution of HD or FD.
Regarding patient traits, etiologies, and clinically significant allergens, HD, FD, and HFD differed in several ways.