Trends of contact allergy to fragrance mix I and Myroxylon pereirae among Danish eczema patients tested between 1985 and 2007.

BACKGROUND

Fragrance contact allergy has for long been recognized as an important health issue. In Denmark, the frequency of fragrance mix (FM) I contact allergy increased between 1985-1986 and 1997-1998 among male and female dermatitis patients.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the development of FM I and Myroxylon pereirae (MP) contact allergy between 1985 and 2007 with an emphasis on recent years.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of all patch test data from our database was performed. Comparison of sensitivity rates was made using a chi-squared test for trend. Logistic regression analyses were used to test for associations.

RESULTS

Of 16,173 patients, 7.2% were sensitized to FM I and 4% to MP. FM I contact allergy was associated with female sex [odds ratio (OR) = 1.52; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.33-1.74] and age between 41 and 60 years (OR = 3.20; 95% CI = 1.98-5.21). Significant declines of FM I and MP reactions among women but not men were observed between 1999 and 2007.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the frequency of FM I contact allergy has decreased in Denmark in recent years, it is still high. Furthermore, fragrance contact allergy is caused by other important allergens not included in this analysis. Allergic contact reactions to the ingredients of FM I remain a problem in European consumers.