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Pediatric contact allergens in the neonatal intensive care unit

Journal of Perinatology volume 40, pages 1554–1559 (2020)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objective

The degree of neonatal exposure to potentially sensitizing agents on neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and the process by which personal care products are selected for use in the NICU are poorly documented.

Study design

We evaluated personal care products used in three NICUs for potentially sensitizing agents. We interviewed NICU staff to analyze how products are selected and approved for use.

Results

Twenty-four personal care products were evaluated. 75% contained one or more potential contact allergen, with fragrances being most common. Staff preference, brand loyalty, cost, and small product size were often considered when approving NICU products.

Conclusions

The prevalence of potentially sensitizing agents in the products indicates a need for improvement in the evaluation and acquisition process of over-the-counter products used for neonatal skin care. The involvement of dermatology in this process may be beneficial.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the NICUs of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco, and Oregon Health & Sciences University for contributing their time and information. There were no sources of sponsorship or material requiring acknowledgement for this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Jodie Raffi, Nicole Kittler, Ilona Frieden & Nina Botto

  2. Department of Dermatology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA

    Kathryn Schwarzenberger

Authors
  1. Jodie Raffi
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  2. Nicole Kittler
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  3. Kathryn Schwarzenberger
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  4. Ilona Frieden
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  5. Nina Botto
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Contributions

JR was a major contributor to the literature review and writing of the manuscript and contributed significantly to the conceptual analysis and editing of the manuscript. NK contributed significantly to the literature analysis and oversight of the manuscript writing process. KS contributed significantly to the literature analysis and oversight of the manuscript writing process. IF contributed significantly to the literature analysis and oversight of the manuscript writing process. NB performed the data collection and contributed majorly to the study concept, design, editing and oversight of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nina Botto.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Raffi, J., Kittler, N., Schwarzenberger, K. et al. Pediatric contact allergens in the neonatal intensive care unit. J Perinatol 40, 1554–1559 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-020-00769-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-020-00769-x

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