EPICUTANEOUS PATCH TEST RESULTS IN CHILDREN WITH ATOPIC DERMATITIS

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is one of the most common inflammatory diseases, occurring in 20% of children and 10% of adults in highly developed countries. It is a multifactorial disease with a complex pathogenesis, where a significant role is played by the disruption of the epidermal barrier and immune dysregulation. The wide spectrum of possible clinical manifestations complicates the categorization of these patients. Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) is not rare in patients with AD. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of epicutaneous patch testing with a standard series of contact allergens in children with AD and suspected for ACD and to compare the results with disease activity. The study was conducted at the University Clinic for Dermatology, Skopje, in patients with AD, aged ≤18 years. The study included 12 children, 5 girls and 7 boys, aged between 2-13 years. The patch test was negative only in one patient, two patients had only 2 positive results, and 9 patients had 4 or more than 4 positive results. In our series, ACD in children with AD was very common (11 out of 12 patients). The most common allergens were cobalt chloride, potassium dichromate, and propolis 10%.