Allergic contact dermatitis in children: trends in allergens, 10 years on. A retrospective study of 500 children tested between 2005 and 2014 in one UK centre.

BACKGROUND: Contact allergy in children is becoming increasingly recognized as a cause of eczema. The causal agents may change with time, but there are few comparative data for this age group. OBJECTIVES: To compare data from the past 10 years with a similar study from the previous decade. METHODS: Between 2005 and 2014, 500 consecutive children who had been patch tested at Leeds Teaching Hospitals were identified, and the results were reviewed. RESULTS: Twenty-seven per cent (134 cases) of children had one or more positive patch test findings. The mean ± standard deviation age of patients with a positive test reaction was 11.9 ± 4.1 years, which was significantly higher than that of patients with a negative result (10.9 ± 4.0 years) (p = 0.01; Mann-Whitney U-test). No significant relationship between sex and a positive patch test result was found (p = 0.48, chi-squared). Allergy to nickel was the most frequent finding, although this accounted for 18%, rather than 33% (1995-2004), of all positive reactions. The next most common allergens included fragrance mix 1 (17%), p-phenylenediamine (16%), and methylchloroisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone (6%). CONCLUSIONS: Although the overall incidence of contact allergy in our paediatric population is static, there has been a significant change in the allergens detected, probably as a result of changes in European legislation and cosmetic product use in children.

Alcohol hand abuse: a cross-sectional survey of skin complaints and usage patterns at a large UK teaching hospital.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether the regular use of alcohol hand gel was having a detrimental effect on hands of healthcare professionals and, if so, to what extent. The study also aimed to establish a link between individuals who felt their hands were suffering from persistent exposure to the gel and those who actively avoided using the gel. DESIGN: A short descriptive questionnaire was distributed to healthcare professionals and those working within clinical areas within one trust (two teaching hospitals). SETTING: Staff that worked or had duties within clinical areas that necessitated the use of alcohol hand gel. PARTICIPANTS: The survey was sent via email to all staff on the email database. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: To determine the number of staff that developed new onset skin conditions since the introduction of alcohol hand gel and of what proportion of this number actively or considered avoiding the hand gel. RESULTS: Questionnaires were returned for analysis by 399 respondents. Eighty-eight percent of respondents felt that they had developed new onset skin conditions as a consequence of maintaining hand hygiene protocols. Nurses were the highest users of the hand gel, but interestingly were also the highest group to avoid or consider avoiding the hand gel (52% compared with 28%, 26% and 44% in the doctors, secretaries and healthcare assistants groups, respectively) .Thus indicating more frequent use may cause increased problems. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that 88% of respondents stated that they had new-onset skin problems, of which half-felt that alcohol gel was the main contributing factor. There was a detrimental effect on compliance with alcohol gel hand hygiene protocols in this group. This reflects the real life difficulties of staff in their endeavour to reduce hospital-acquired infections. Action is needed to improve the compliance with such a simple task and ensure that all is done to reduce nosocomial infection and reduce the potential financial burden.

Familial annular erythema--a rare dermatology diagnosis.

We report the second case of autosomal dominant familial annular erythema since its original description in 1966 by Beare et al. A three and a half-year-old boy presented at five days of age with a widespread annular urticated erythematous rash which has persisted despite treatment with various antihistamines and mast-cell stabilizers. His mother reports an identical eruption with an absence of systemic symptoms.

An audit of the activities of the pediatric dermatology nurse specialist (PDNS).

In the current financial climate where resources in the National Health Service are becoming increasingly limited, it is essential that the role of the pediatric dermatology nurse specialist remains appreciated and supported. Our pediatric dermatology nurse specialist was first employed in September 2002 having had 6 years experience nursing children with a wide variety of dermatologic conditions prior to her employment. She achieved her pediatric community nursing degree in 2003 undertaking the nurse prescribing extended formulary course in 2006, her training history representative of many nurse specialists. We present the results of an audit highlighting how the employment of our pediatric dermatology nurse specialist has led to a decrease in hospital admissions as well as providing a significant positive impact on waiting lists.