TY - JOUR

T1 - Association between cobalt allergy and dermatitis caused by leather articles

T2 - a questionnaire study

AU - Bregnbak, David

AU - Thyssen, Jacob P

AU - Zachariae, Claus

AU - Menné, Torkil

AU - Johansen, Jeanne D

N1 - © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PY - 2015/2

Y1 - 2015/2

N2 - BACKGROUND: Cobalt is a strong skin sensitizer and a prevalent contact allergen. Recent studies have recognized exposure to leather articles as a potential cause of cobalt allergy.OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between contact allergy to cobalt and a history of dermatitis resulting from exposure to leather.METHODS: A questionnaire case-control study was performed: the case group consisted of 183 dermatitis patients with a positive patch test reaction to cobalt chloride and a negative patch test reaction to potassium dichromate; the control group consisted of 621 dermatitis patients who did not react to either cobalt or chromium in patch testing. Comparisons were made by use of a χ(2) -test, Fisher's exact, and the Mann-Whitney test. Logistic regression analyses were used to test for associations while taking confounding factors into consideration.RESULTS: Leather was observed as the most frequent exposure source causing dermatitis in the case group. Although the case group significantly more often reported non-occupational dermatitis caused by leather exposure (p < 0.001), no association was found between cobalt allergy and dermatitis caused by work-related exposure to leather.CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests a positive association between cobalt allergy and a history of dermatitis caused by non-occupational exposure to leather articles.

AB - BACKGROUND: Cobalt is a strong skin sensitizer and a prevalent contact allergen. Recent studies have recognized exposure to leather articles as a potential cause of cobalt allergy.OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between contact allergy to cobalt and a history of dermatitis resulting from exposure to leather.METHODS: A questionnaire case-control study was performed: the case group consisted of 183 dermatitis patients with a positive patch test reaction to cobalt chloride and a negative patch test reaction to potassium dichromate; the control group consisted of 621 dermatitis patients who did not react to either cobalt or chromium in patch testing. Comparisons were made by use of a χ(2) -test, Fisher's exact, and the Mann-Whitney test. Logistic regression analyses were used to test for associations while taking confounding factors into consideration.RESULTS: Leather was observed as the most frequent exposure source causing dermatitis in the case group. Although the case group significantly more often reported non-occupational dermatitis caused by leather exposure (p < 0.001), no association was found between cobalt allergy and dermatitis caused by work-related exposure to leather.CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests a positive association between cobalt allergy and a history of dermatitis caused by non-occupational exposure to leather articles.

KW - Adult

KW - Aged

KW - Aged, 80 and over

KW - Allergens

KW - Case-Control Studies

KW - Cobalt

KW - Cross-Sectional Studies

KW - Dermatitis, Allergic Contact

KW - Dermatitis, Occupational

KW - Female

KW - Humans

KW - Male

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Patch Tests

KW - Quality of Life

KW - Severity of Illness Index

KW - Surveys and Questionnaires

KW - Tanning

KW - Young Adult

U2 - 10.1111/cod.12319

DO - 10.1111/cod.12319

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 25407465

VL - 72

SP - 106

EP - 114

JO - Contact Dermatitis

JF - Contact Dermatitis

SN - 0105-1873

IS - 2

ER -