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Atopic dermatitis patients more likely to react to formaldehyde releasers

Patients with atopic dermatitis were more likely to have cutaneous delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction to formaldehyde releasers compared with patients without the chronic condition, according to recent study results.

Researchers conducted patch testing to the North American Contact Dermatitis Group (NACDG) standard screening series between July 1994 and June 2013 on 2,453 patients who presented with clinical suspicion of allergic contact dermatitis. Three hundred forty-two patients had atopic dermatitis (AD; 13.94%) and 2,111 patients (86.06%) did not. Assessment of positive patch test results among patients was assessed, and standard analysis was conducted using a chi-square test.

In patients with AD, 72.51% had a positive patch test to at least one allergen, compared with 64.71% of patients with no history of AD (P=.006). Patients with AD had a significantly greater hypersensitivity to four of five formaldehyde releasers analyzed: quaternium-15 (P=.015), imidazolidinyl urea (P=.048), DMDM hydantoin (P=.022) and 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol (P=.004), compared with non-AD patients. There were no significant differences in reaction to paraben mix, formaldehyde or diazolidinyl urea between both patient cohorts.

“Based on our findings, we strongly recommend that health care practitioners counsel their atopic patients to minimize cutaneous contact with [skin care] products that contain formaldehyde releasers,” the researchers concluded. “Atopic patients should be advised to treat their skin with ointments, which are unlikely to contain antimicrobial preservatives.”

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.