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Atopic dermatitis is a chronic skin disease most common in small children. It occurs in 17% of all children. The disease is more common in children with asthma or allergic rhinitis. This is a chronic disease with exacerbations and remissions, usually beginning in infancy.
Sometimes contact with different materials (usually but not always extended contact) may cause inflammatory skin reactions. In a general sense, inflammatory skin reactions are called dermatitis. Some of these dermatitides are allergies, meaning that they are mediated by the immune system as an attempt of rejection of a material that the body identifies as harmful.
About 20% of work-related health problems are skin problems. Of these, a significant percentage (79-90%) is contact dermatitis. In practical terms, four types of contact dermatitis can be distinguished:
Diagnosis of the exact cause is based on the information that the patient provides, the timing of the reaction, the type of reaction, the time needed to elicit the reaction, the time of cessation of the reaction, material exposure and distribution and the reaction. If allergic contact dermatitis is suspected, the allergist may perform a patch test. Patch test is based on skin exposure to a suspected material for 48 hours. Presence or absence of a skin reaction underlying the zone of exposure to the suspected material will confirm or rule out a connection between the investigated material and the skin reaction. Sometimes it is necessary to see the patient again even up to 48 hours after removing the patch because of borderline reactions that may increase with time.
Contact dermatitis treatment is based on avoiding exposure to the culprit material or alternatively using protective measures such as gloves. Contact dermatitis is a common occupational problem (in example use of gloves and allergy to rubber/latex, the raw material of ordinary gloves), a cosmetic problem (allergy to cosmetics, to hair dye, to henna-the common tattoo dye).
It is important to note that people with metal allergies should provide this information to any treating physician if a foreign body implantation is planned, such as a tooth implant or an artificial joint replacement, among others. Other contact allergies should also be reported to the treating physician as they may have consequences for further treatments (in example allergy to thimerosal, a common stabilizing material in the pharmacologic industry and in vaccines).
Treatment to this type of allergic reactions includes steroids (ointment or oral) and antihistamine drugs.
Medication-related side effects are common and occur in approximately 25% of patients! The majority are known and predictable pharmacological side effects, not a result of allergy to the drug.
Honey bee, hornet and wasp stings are responsible for disease in humans. Anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction may develop in approximately 3% of all adults and about 1% of children after honey bee, hornet or wasp stings. Four situations should be distinguished in terms of risk:
Around 5% of the population suffers from food allergies. Food allergy manifests with a recognized pattern typical of a reaction mediated by the immune system. Not all side effects to food are due to allergy.