Prevalence and interest in the practice of scratch testing for contact urticaria: a survey of the American contact dermatitis society members.

BACKGROUND

Contact urticaria (CU) is the development of a wheal and flare on the skin after topical exposure to a particular chemical or compound. It can be diagnosed through a variety of techniques. Many chemicals that cause a type IV allergy can also cause CU. The incidence of CU to these chemicals is unknown.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the opinions of the American Contact Dermatitis Society members regarding CU and scratch testing.

METHODS

We distributed an electronic survey to the American Contact Dermatitis Society members regarding observed prevalence of CU, frequency of scratch testing in clinical practice, and interest in learning about scratch testing in diagnosing CU and other skin contact conditions.

RESULTS

We distributed 508 surveys and received 133 responses. Seventeen percent reported that CU was extremely rare, 32% reported that CU was rare, and 38.9% reported that CU was infrequent. Alternatively, 10.7% believed that CU was common, and 1.5% believed that CU was extremely common. A minority, 19.1%, performed scratch testing on patients with suspected CU. Most respondents, 54.6%, were interested in learning about scratch testing.

CONCLUSIONS

Additional education regarding scratch testing could increase comfort and use of scratch testing in clinical practice. Further studies are needed to evaluate the prevalence of CU in the general population and better guide the use of testing for dermatologic patients.