Chrome sensitivity in Israel.

Fifty-two Israeli Jewish patients suffering from chrome sensitivity (C.S.) were investigated with regard to their ethnic origin, age of onset of the dermatitis, occupational history and socio-economic level. Forty-eight patients suffering from various skin conditions and drawn from the outpatient dermatological clinic were used as controls. The socio-economic status of C.S. patients was found to be very low, regardless of ethnic origin. Ninety-four percent of the patients were non-Ashkenazi Jews and a significantly increased proportion of those (24%) were of Kurdish descent. There were no major differences in their occupations. Patients of Kurdish origin manifested the disease at a significantly earlier age than other non-Ashkenazi patients, although the socio-economic conditions of the different ethnic groups of patients were similar.