Contact allergy in a paediatric population observed in a tertiary referral centre in Belgium

Background Contact allergy is increasingly recognized as being important in children with eczema. Objectives To retrospectively analyse the patch test results in children over the past 10 years, aiming to (1) evaluate demographic characteristics and lesion locations, (2) describe frequencies of positive patch test reactions, and (3) investigate the relationship with atopic dermatitis (AD). Methods A total of 329 children were patch tested between January 2010 and December 2019 with the European (children) baseline series and/or other series, and the personal product(s) used. Results A total of 119 (36%) children presented with at least one positive reaction. Children with AD had a higher prevalence of positive reactions compared with the non-AD group (P = .002), but without statistically significant difference regarding sensitization to more than one hapten (P = .39). The face (20.2%), hands (19.3%), feet (16.8%), arms (12.6%), and body folds (10.9%) were the most common sites of primary localizations. The most frequent contact allergens were nickel sulfate and linalool hydroperoxide (both 16%), limonene hydroperoxide (13.5%), and para-phenylenediamine (10.9%). No statistically significant difference for nickel sulfate was found between the AD and non-AD group (P = .20). Conclusions Contact allergy in children with eczema was frequently observed in our tertiary referral centre in Belgium as well, confirming the need for patch testing.