Contact Dermatitis And Thimerosal
Contact dermatitis is an inflammatory response of the skin to an antigen or irritant. Common allergens associated with contact dermatitis include, poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, nickel or other metals, antibiotics, topical anesthetics, detergents, cosmetics, perfumes, and other chemical substances.
Thimerosal is a preservative that is used in vaccines, topical medications, oils, and cosmetics.
According to various medical journals, such as the Archives of Dermatology and American Journal of Contact Dermatitis, thimerosal is considered one of the most common allergens in North America and worldwide. Recent studies have suggested that these reactions to thimerosal are of no consequence. A study in the medical journal Contact Dermatitis, examined 508 adult patients who were suspected to have an allergic contact dermatitis using a patch test.
Dermatologists apply patch tests in patients with dermatitis, to find out whether their skin condition may be caused or aggravated by a contact allergy. Although former studies had shown a low percentage of relevant allergies to thimerosal of 8 to 16 percent, “our study population shows a relatively low (3.7%) percentage of positive reactions to thimerosal but a much higher [percentage of] relevant ones.
A high proportion of thimerosal positive reactions (approximately 73%) was found to be clinically relevant.” This means that of the small percentage of reactions to thimerosal, approximately 3 out 4 of those were considered to be important by the study authors.
The face was found to be the most common location for contact dermatitis among the thimerosal sensitive group, followed by the palms, and eyelids. The authors conclude that, “although previous reports found thimerosal highly irrelevant, our daily experience being supported by the above data indicates that positive reactions to thimerosal could be relevant for many patients.”
SOURCE: Contact Dermatitis, December 2005
Thimerosal is a preservative that is used in vaccines, topical medications, oils, and cosmetics.
According to various medical journals, such as the Archives of Dermatology and American Journal of Contact Dermatitis, thimerosal is considered one of the most common allergens in North America and worldwide. Recent studies have suggested that these reactions to thimerosal are of no consequence. A study in the medical journal Contact Dermatitis, examined 508 adult patients who were suspected to have an allergic contact dermatitis using a patch test.
Dermatologists apply patch tests in patients with dermatitis, to find out whether their skin condition may be caused or aggravated by a contact allergy. Although former studies had shown a low percentage of relevant allergies to thimerosal of 8 to 16 percent, “our study population shows a relatively low (3.7%) percentage of positive reactions to thimerosal but a much higher [percentage of] relevant ones.
A high proportion of thimerosal positive reactions (approximately 73%) was found to be clinically relevant.” This means that of the small percentage of reactions to thimerosal, approximately 3 out 4 of those were considered to be important by the study authors.
The face was found to be the most common location for contact dermatitis among the thimerosal sensitive group, followed by the palms, and eyelids. The authors conclude that, “although previous reports found thimerosal highly irrelevant, our daily experience being supported by the above data indicates that positive reactions to thimerosal could be relevant for many patients.”
SOURCE: Contact Dermatitis, December 2005
posted by Madison @ 11:20 AM
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