Associated Positive Patch Test Reactions to Standard Contact Allergens: 10-Year Data From The Slovenia E-Surveillance System.

BACKGROUND Considerable percentage of patients tested with a standard patch test series respond with a positive reaction to more than one allergen, and some associations between synchronous positive reactions to distinct standard patch allergens have been described in the literature. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the prevalence of sensibilization to haptens of the European baseline series as well as the prevalence of oligo- and polysensitization and the most significant associated positive patch test reactions in Slovenia. METHODS Patch testing data collected by the Slovenia E-Surveillance system from January 2008 to December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS Of a total of 15,171 analyzed patients, 39.29% showed at least one positive reaction. The highest sensitivity rates were noted for metals (Nickel(II)sulfate hexahydrate - 16.33%) and fragrances group (Fragrance mix I - 6.70%). The correlation analysis showed the strongest correlation between Mercapto mix and 2-Mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT) (61.2%), Fragrance mix II and Lyral (50.5%), and Potassium dichromate and Cobalt (II) chloride hexahydrate (33.3%). CONCLUSIONS Sensitization prevalence to the most common haptens was defined, and their strongest correlations on a national level were discovered. Comparison with the European level demonstrates already known associations between allergens according to the model of cross reactivity. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.