Epicutaneous patch test results in patients with allergic contact dermatitis in Karlovac county--a retrospective survey.

During the 1994-2003 study period, patch testing was carried out in 1102 subjects (740 female and 362 male, mean age 39.8, range 7-81 years) suspected to have allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). Epicutaneous patch test with a standard series of contact allergens was made by the Institute of Immunology, Zagreb, Croatia, according to the Internationational Contact Dermatitis Research Group (ICDRG) rules. During the study period, 399 (36.2%) subjects with one or more positive tests were recorded, and 640 positive tests were observed. The most frequent allergens were nickel sulfate identified in 214 (33.4%), cobalt chloride in 64 (10%), fragrance mix in 60 (9.4%), wood tar in 47 (7.3%), potassium dichromate in 39 (6.1%), balsam of Peru in 29 (4.6%) and other allergens in 187 (29.2%) cases. According to the localization of ACD, hands as the most common site were involved in 535 (48.5%) cases, followed by the face in 167 (15.2%) and other locations in 400 (36.3%) cases. It is concluded that nickel is the principal allergen as the cause of ACD, mostly affecting women. The areas most frequently involved by ACD were the hands and face.