Contact sensitisation pattern of patients with eczema at the face and neck region: A retrospective study in Kuala Lumpur.

Introduction: Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) involving the face and neck region (FNR) is not uncommon. We aimed to determine the sensitisation pattern among patients with dermatitis involving FNR who underwent skin patch tests between 2016 and 2022.

Materials and methods: This is a 7-year retrospective review on contact sensitisation patterns in patients with dermatitis over the FNR who underwent skin patch tests between 2016 and 2022 in the Department of Dermatology Hospital Kuala Lumpur.

Results: There were 291 patients (female-to-male ratio of 7.8:1; mean age of 34.1 ± 14.0 years) with dermatitis at the FNR who underwent patch tests. The majority (n = 116,39.9%) were aged between 20 and 29 years. About 8% were below 19 years of age. Nearly 50% had dermatitis over the perioral region, 8.6% at the periorbital area and 50.6% at the other parts of the face and neck region. The clinical diagnoses included contact dermatitis (n = 145, 49.8%), cheilitis (n = 81, 27.8%), endogenous eczema (n = 28, 9.6%) and others. All were tested with European baseline series, with 91.4% and 77.0% tested with extended series, and own products, respectively. About 70.1% were sensitised to at least one allergen. The most common sensitizing allergen was nickel sulfate (34.0%), followed by cobalt chloride (11.7%), fragrance mix (10.7%), methylchloroisothiazolinone/ methylisothiazolinone (8.9%), and formaldehyde (8.9%). Clinical relevance was documented in 58.8% of them.

Conclusion: Contact sensitisation was detected in about 70% of patients with dermatitis at the FNR who were patchtested. Nickel, cobalt chloride and fragrance mix were the most common sensitising allergens in these patients.