Contact Allergy in Canada Versus United States: Analysis of the North American Contact Dermatitis Group Data 2005-2016.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to describe the differences in contact allergy between the United States (US) and Canada.

METHODS

This is a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of the North American Contact Dermatitis Group data from 2005 to 2016. Frequencies of demographics, clinical characteristics, positive reactions, trends, and occupations were calculated.

RESULTS

A total of 28,640 patients underwent patch testing. At least 1 positive patch test was observed in 18,599 patients (US, 11,641 [66.5%]; Canada, 6958 [62.5%]). When comparing the 2 groups, US positive reactions were more likely to occur in male patients (odds ratio [OR] = 1.40, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.31-1.49), older than 40 years (OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.22-1.38), Black (OR = 2.67, 95% CI = 2.24-3.19) or Hispanic race (OR = 3.53, 95% CI = 2.61-4.78), and/or patients with scattered generalized dermatitis (OR = 1.96, 95% CI = 1.80-2.13). They were less likely to occur in patients with eczema (OR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.57-0.65) and Asian race (OR = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.44-0.56). Nickel (US, 16.0%; Canada, 22.4%) and methylisothiazolinone (US, 13.4%; Canada, 11.0%) were the top allergens. The third most frequent was neomycin (US, 11.7%) and fragrance mix I (Canada, 10.2%).

CONCLUSIONS

National differences in allergen prevalence and trends exist in North America.