Allergic Contact Dermatitis in a private practice Dermatology Clinic in Ipoh: A Seven-Year Retrospective Study

ABSTRACT

Patch testing has been accepted as the most important investigative technique of assessing allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) and identifying the contact allergens. The epidemiology of ACD differs in different geographic region as the environmental allergens vary in different populations. In this study 59.8% of the patients had a positive patch test reaction to one or more allergens. The prevalence of ACD was 64.7% in women and 51.4% in men. The commonest causes of ACD were nickel (30.4%), fragrance mix (18.16%) and balsam of Peru (6.73%).