ABSTRACT
Knowledge on age-relationship to irritant contact dermatitis (ICD) remains of interest. We searched for articles and textbooks on age-relationship to ICD and evaluated relevant data. Irritant response may be enhanced in children and decline with increasing age. In general, older skin reacts more slowly and with less intensity to irritants when compared with young skin. Such age-related changes may depend: (i) on differences in percutaneous penetration in old and young skin, and/or on (ii) differences in the microcirculatory efficiency, which serves as the route by which inflammatory cells make their way to the site of inflammation. Additionally, stratum corneum turnover time increases with age which means that an irritant remains longer on the skin; a compromised cutaneous blood vessel network with ageing may lead to a decreased inflammatory response, decreased absorption and decreased clearance. In conclusion, age-related differences of ICD are present despite some conflicting data. Investigations elucidating this interesting subject may benefit in prevention and intervention strategies.
Subject(s)
Dermatitis, Irritant/etiology , Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions , Administration, Cutaneous , Age Factors , Humans , Pharmaceutical Preparations/administration & dosageABSTRACT
The relationship between allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) and age has not been well documented. We searched for articles and textbooks based on age-ACD relationship and evaluated relevant data. The frequency of skin reactions to allergens increased with age in some studies, whereas others showed no definite effect. This might be caused by variations in study design, genetic factors or by external influences such as from different regions and environmental exposure. In general, investigators agree that elderly patients were more likely to have multiple contact allergies than younger persons. This may be because of the frequent use of topical medicaments and having a longer time for potential allergen exposure. However, a review of marketed transdermal products for ACD shows a very low incidence, and no age-related effects were reported. One exception to this low incidence of ACD is the transdermal product, Catapres-TTS(®) (clonidine), which has a reported incidence rate of ~16%. The generally low incidence of ACD in marketed products and the conflicting findings in the prevalence of specific age-related ACD indicate the need for further investigation as to the proclivity for developing new sensitivities with age.
