Contact dermatitis caused by glucose sensors in diabetic children.

BACKGROUND

Allergic contact dermatitis caused by glucose sensors has been recently described in diabetics, mostly in adult patients. Isobornyl acrylate and N-N dimethylacrylamide are the potent causative agents.

OBJECTIVES

To describe a child population with contact dermatitis caused by glucose sensors, determine the causative allergen, and assess the prevalence of isobornyl acrylate (IBOA) sensitization.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

Overall, 12 children with a reaction to medical devices, either glucose sensors or insulin sets, were patch tested with the European baseline series, glues and rubber, (meth) acrylates series, and with piece of the adhesive part of the glucose sensor FreeStyle Libre. Isobornyl acrylate 0.1% pet. was patch tested in 11 patients, and N-N dimethylacrylamide in two. Some patients were tested with adhesive parts of the infusion set.

RESULTS

Overall, 10 children reacted to the adhesive part of the sensor FreeStyle Libre, and 10 children were sensitized to IBOA. One patient turned out to be negative in all patch tests.

CONCLUSION

Allergic contact dermatitis caused by glucose sensors is common in the pediatric diabetic patient population. Like in the adult patient population, IBOA was the culprit allergen, with 83.3% sensitization prevalence in children exhibiting adverse cutaneous reactions caused by FreeStyle Libre.