Abstract 700 Poster Session IV, Tuesday, 5/4 (poster 1)

Allergic contact dermatitis is an inflammatory reaction of the skin that follows percutaneous absorption of antigen from the skin surface and recruitment of previously sensitized, antigen-specific T lymphocytes into the skin. Contact sensitization can be determined using epicutaneous (patch) testing, where allergens are applied to the skin and subsequent reactions are evaluated. As prior studies found allergic contact sensitization common in children by five years old, our aim was to determine if children were sensitized to contact allergens in infancy. We recruited 95 asymptomatic children, ages 6 months to 5 years (mean age 31.4 months), from well-child visits at Denver-area pediatric practices for patch testing using the prepackaged T.R.U.E. Test system. This test kit contains 24 polyester patches impregnated with standardized amounts of known, common, contact allergens on an adhesive backing. 85 children returned for follow up. Of these, 20 (24.5%) had one or more positive reactions to the tested allergens. Positive reactors ranged from 6 to 65.5 months in age, with an average age of 30.4 months. 16 children reacted positively to 1 allergen, while 4 reacted positively to 2. No subjects reacted to 3 or more allergens. The most positive reactions were observed to nickel (11), followed by 8 reactions to thimerosal. Other positive reactions were to Neomycin, Cobalt, p-tert Butylphenol Formaldehyde Resin, and Kathon CG. In summary, our study demonstrates that children as young as six months old may be sensitized to contact allergens, and that in this pediatric population, the prevalence of sensitization is approximately 24%. Sensitization to common contact allergens may occur in infants. (Table)

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GlaxoWellcome provided the T.R.U.E Tests but no financial support for this study.