Contact allergens in African countries: A review of published patch test studies

Nikolaj Menné Bonefeld, Torkil Menné, Ulrik Ahrensbøll-Friis, Anne Sofie Østergaard Gadsbøll, Christian William Wang, Thor Grundtvig Theander, Elisante John Masenga, Daudi Mavura, Niels Ødum, Charlotte Menné Bonefeld, Carsten Geisler*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReviewResearchpeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Only few studies on contact allergy in African countries have been published. The aim of the present study was to provide an overview of the most common contact allergens identified by the use of patch tests in African countries based on a review of the existing literature. A total of twenty-four publications from eight African countries were initially identified by search in PubMed. The abstracts and method sections were screened, and 15 studies in which patch tests were actually used to identify the allergen causing the allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) were finally selected. Nickel, cobalt, chromium, fragrance mix and p-tert-butylphenol-formaldehyde resin were the dominating contact allergens responsible for 40%–90% of the positive patch test reactions. This study indicates that a targeted effort directed towards prevention, avoidance and regulation of reliably identified contact allergens could reduce the disease burden of ACD considerable in some African countries.

Original languageEnglish
Book seriesContact Dermatitis
Volume90
Issue number2
Pages (from-to)103-109
ISSN0105-1873
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Keywords

  • Africa
  • allergic contact allergy
  • contact allergens
  • patch test

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