[Eczema of the lower leg and contact allergy].

Seventy-three patients suffering from stasis dermatitis with or without leg ulcers (group A) and 565 patients with other eczemas (group B) were patch tested with a series of 37 vehicle constituents and topical preparations. In group A the most common reactions were obtained with wool alcohols (24.7%), eucerin (21.9%), lanette N (17.2%), lanette O (11.0%) lanette E (8.2%), parabens (9.6%), a number of preparations containing these ingredients, and prophylene glycol (9.6%). In group B there were only positive reactions to lanette E (6.0%, test concentration 20%/vaseline) and sodium lauryl sulfate (5.8% positive, 5%/water), but irritant reactions were suspected in most cases. Additionally, group A patients were patch tested with standard allergens, which most frequently revealed contact allergies to balsam of Peru (19.1%) and mercuric bichloride (6.8%). Among the local antibacterial agents, the most common allergens were neomycin (32.9%) and bacitracin (12.3%). The number of patients with stasis dermatitis who reacted to one or more test substances had increased to 71.3%, as compared to the 57% evaluated in a similar study in 1977.