Allergy data 2008
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The following figures and graphs come from the patients allergy tested at the dermatology clinics and dermatology departments that make up the national allergy network.
The figures are from January to December 2008. In this period, 3746 patients were allergy tested: 2481 women and 1265 men.
Updated 03.06.2008 |
Metal allergy
Nickel allergy is the most frequent form of contact allergy not only among eczema patients but also among the general population. In 2007, of the female eczema patients allergy tested, 20% had nickel allergy and of the male eczema patients allergy tested, 5.5% had nickel allergy. There is little change in the figures in relation to those of 2003–2006.
In 1991, legislation was introduced to limit exposure to nickel from inexpensive jewellery, fastenings etc.
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There is still a high incidence of nickel allergy among eczema patients due to the fact that the allergy emerges early in childhood and remains detectable in an allergy test for many years. There is today, however, only a small proportion of people diagnosed with nickel allergy who have eczema problems resulting from a present-day exposure to nickel. New studies indicate that the nickel legislation is effective and will contribute to reducing the number of people with nickel allergy.
Read more about nickel allergy
Cobalt is a metal that can be found together with nickel. People who are diagnosed with cobalt allergy are usually allergic to nickel too. Cobalt allergy comes from the same sources as nickel allergy, i.e., plated metal, such as inexpensive jewellery; fastenings; watches etc.
Chrome allergy was diagnosed in 3.1% of allergy-tested men and 2.6% of allergy-tested women. For men, this figure is very similar to that of 2006, but for women, it is lower than the 3.4% shown in 2006. The prevalence of chrome allergy in women in 2007 is on the same level as that of 2005 where 2.4% were diagnosed with the allergy. Thus there appears to be little fluctuation in the prevalence of chrome allergy.
Chrome allergy stems mainly from leather products, for example, shoes, gloves and watchstraps, because chrome is used in leather tanning. The tanning process makes leather more durable, but chrome residues may remain in the leather, and these can give rise to allergy. This type of allergy can cause severe eczema on the hands and feet.
The raw materials used in cement production contain chrome. Earlier, chrome allergy was very common among construction workers in Denmark; however, in 1981, legislation was introduced to reduce the content of allergenic chrome in cement. Accordingly, the incidence of chrome allergy fell dramatically. Chrome allergy is still seen in construction workers, but these cases are nearly always in patients with chronic eczema stemming from before the legislation was introduced or from working with imported cement, which is not covered by the 1981 legislation. In 2003, the Danish chrome legislation was implemented throughout the EU.
Read more about chrome allergy
Allergy to preservatives
Preservatives are chemical substances added to products, such as cosmetics and cleaning agents, to prevent the growth of bacteria and other micro-organisms. There are many preservatives and their effectivity varies. This often plays a role in their ability to provoke allergy: the most effective preservatives are often also those with the greatest allergenicity. The problem with the least allergenic preservatives, such as parabens, is that often they must be combined with other preservatives to be effective.
Formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasers are a group of preservatives made up partly of the chemical formaldehyde and partly of a group of chemicals that release formaldehyde when they are added to a product. There are many formaldehyde releasers.
The graph below shows data for formaldehyde, and the formaldehyde releasers: quaternium 15, diazolidinyl urea and imidiazolidinyl urea. Formaldehyde allergy is still prevalent with an incidence among eczema patients of 1.7% in men and 1.6% in women. This is a decrease in relation to the figures for 2005 and 2006, where for men the incidence was 2.1% and 2.6%, respectively, and for women 3.3% and 2.3% respectively.%.
There is no apparent change in the prevalence of allergy to formaldehyde releasers, such as diazolidinyl urea, imidiazolidinyl urea and quaternium-15.
The allergy can stem from cosmetics, cleaning agents, paper or industrial products.
Read more about formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasers
Methyldibromo glutaronitrile is a preservative used since the early 1980s.
In recent years there has been a considerable increase in methyldibromo glutaronitrile allergy among eczema patients in Europe. This is mainly due to over-high concentrations of MG in cosmetics, in particular, products designed to be in prolonged contact with the skin, such as creams and lotions, and products that are used frequently throughout the day, such as liquid soap etc.
Accordingly, the EU Commission banned the use of methyldibromo glutaronitrile in stay-on products. The ban took effect from September 2005. The Commission’s scientific advisory committee for cosmetic products recommended that MG should also be banned in wash-off products, such as liquid soap. This proposal was passed in February 2007 and came into effect approximately 15 months later.
Currently, 2.6% of the allergy-tested eczema patients are diagnosed with methyldibromo glutaronitrile allergy (see graph). In 2003 this figure was 4.5% (4.3% in women and 4.8% in men); in 2004 it was 3.9% (3.5% in women and 4.8% in men); in 2005 it was 3.5% (3.0% in women and 4.5% in men); and in 2006 it was 2.5% (2.4% in women and 2.8% in men). It therefore appears that the incidence of methyldibromo glutaronitrile is falling. There has been intense public focus on allergies caused by methyldibromo glutaronitrile, and this has resulted in the preservative being voluntary omitted from many products in Denmark.
Methyldibromo glutaronitrile continues to be one of the most prevalent causes of allergy and the incidence of this type of allergy is increasing throughout Europe.
Read more about allergy to methyldibromo glutaronitrile
MCI/MI (Kathon®) is a combination of two chemical substances: methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI) and methylisothiazolinone (MI) – the first chemical is the more allergenic. They are sold in combination and in allergy tests, they are tested in combination.
Allergy to MCI/MI has been known since the 1980s, when there was an epidemic of allergy cases caused by use of the preservative in cosmetics. The chemicals had been incorrectly marketed as being non-allergenic. The tremendous number of people with this allergy led to restrictions in the use of MCI/MI. In 2007, of the allergy-tested eczema patients, 0.9% had MCI/MI allergy; in 2006 the figure was 1.5%, which was largely the same as during the period 2003–2005. Whether the extent of MCI/MI is decreasing or whether there are fluctuations in its prevalence will be monitired.
Parabens are only very mildly allergenic and seldom cause allergy. In 2007, allergies to parabens were 0.4% in total. Allergy to parabens tends to occur in people who have had severe, chronic eczema and/or leg sores. In these cases the skin has been weakened, which leads to the allergens being more easily absorbed.
Perfume allergy
Perfume is added to a wide range of consumer products, such as cosmetics, cleaning agents and toys – it is also used in industrial products.
Perfume is added to products to mask any unpleasant odour from the other ingredients and to give certain product-characteristics.
Apart from this, perfume is sold as a product in itself in the form of eau de perfume, eau de toilette, eau de cologne and aftershave. A perfume is a combination of different fragrances, both chemical substances and natural extracts. Perfumes contain between 10 and 300 substances, sometimes more.
Three substances or substance mixtures are used to test for perfume allergy: Fragrance mix I (FM I), which is a mixture of seven chemically well-defined fragrances and a natural extract; balsam of Peru, which is a natural extract; and Fragrance mix II (FM II), which is a mixture of six chemically well-defined fragrances. A new diagnostic test has been developed by the National Allergy Research Centre in cooperation with international scientists. With FM II, perfume allergy was detected in 4.4% of those tested in 2007, and in 4.0% in 2006. Many of these cases would not have been detected using other perfume-allergy tests. In FM II, the substance that most often causes allergies is hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde, also called Lyral. In 2007, this substance cause allergies in 2.8% of those allergy tested and in 2006 the figure was 2.2%. The allergy was seen the most frequently in women.
Perfume allergy is almost as frequent as nickel allergy; however, perfume allergy plays a far greater role in actual eczema cases. In 2007, perfume allergy was detected using the perfume combination fragrance mix FM 1 in 5.7% of eczema patients; in 2006 this figure was 6.1%. This is a fall of approximately 7.5% compared with the figures from 2003/2004, but it is at the same level as in 2005.
The main cause of perfume allergy can be attributed to allergenic additives in cosmetics. A change has been passed in the EU directive legislating cosmetics that will limit the content of these additives.
Read more about perfume allergy
Allergy to black dyes (PPD)
p-Phenylenediamine (PPD) is used as a colouring agent in permanent hair dye. It is highly allergenic. It is also used in some temporary tattoos, so-called henna tattoos, which are often sold to tourists in various holiday destinations.
Allergic reactions to hair dye can be so severe that hospitalization is necessary due to extreme facial swelling.
In 2007, of the eczema patients allergy tested for PPD, 1.7% tested positive; in 2006 this figure was 2.1%. This is on the same level as that in 2004–2005. PPD allergy is seen the most often in women.
Read more about temporary tattoos and hair dyes
Allergy to rubber chemicals
In the manufacturing of rubber products many additives are used to give natural rubber elasticity and durability. Sometimes, residues of these additives remain in the finished product, and it is these residues that cause allergies.
These chemical additives have different compositions. In diagnosing allergy to rubber chemicals, both individual chemicals, such as mercaptobenzothiazol (MBT), and chemical combinations, such as mercapto mix and thiuram mix, are used. It may be necessary to supplement the allergy test with several other rubber chemicals in order to detect any allergy.
The most frequent cause of rubber chemical allergy is work-related use of rubber gloves, which are widely used in the health-care sector. Wearing rubber shoes is another frequent cause of this type of allergy.
Read more about:
Allergy to rubber chemicals
Gloves and eczema
Black rubber is used in products that need to be very hard-wearing, for example, car tyres. For this reason, other additives are used to give high durability.
These additives can also be allergenic. The chemical IPPD (N-isopropyl-N-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine) is used alone or in combination with other similar substances when testing for this form of allergy. In 2007, the prevalence of thiuram allergy was 1.0% in men and 2.2% in women, which is similar to the figures from 2006 where 1.3% of men and 2.1% of women had the allergy. The figures from 2004 are similar.
Allergy to plants
Some plants contain allergens. These plants are usually members of the Daisy family, for example, chrysanthemums and marguerites. Plant allergy is diagnosed by using a combination the allergens in Daisy-family plants (sesquiterpenlacton mix). Allergy to plants of the Daisy family is most often seen in hobby gardeners and florists.
Earlier, Primula obconica was a frequent cause of allergy; however, special types of primula have since been developed that do not contain the allergen Primin.
The prevalence of plant allergy has changed little since 2004–2006.
Read more about allergy to plants
Allergy to adhesives
Epoxy is a two-component adhesive used in industry and in the home. It contains highly allergenic substances. In 2007, of the tested eczema patients, 1.5% had epoxy allergy, mostly men.
Colophonium is a natural resin used in adhesives in plasters; cosmetics, for example, mascara; and in such things as handball resin etc. It can have a chemical relation to some of the chemicals in perfume, and people who have an allergy to colophonium may have a low tolerance to perfume.
In 2007, of those tested, 2.6% were allergic to colophonium. This shows that colophonium is one of the most prevalent allergenic chemicals.
PTBFR, p-tert.butylphenolformaldehyde resin is an adhesive widely used to glue shoes and other leather products. This form of allergy has a particularly high prevalence in people with eczema on their feet. In 2007, of the patients tested, 0.9% were allergic to PTBFR. The prevalence of this allergy to adhesives is more or less the same as in 2005 and 2006.
Allergy to treatment preparations
Neomycin is used in certain medications to counteract bacteria in, for example, cream to treat infected eczema, eye and ear drops to treat infection, and haemorrhoid preparations. In 2007, of the tested eczema patients, 1.7% were allergic to Neomycin.
Clioquinol is also found in treatment preparations for eczema – it is effective against bacteria and fungi. In 2008, of those tested, 0.8% were allergic to clioquinol.
Benzocaine is a local anaesthetic. In 2007, of those tested, 0.6% were allergic to benzocaine.
Tixocortol pivalate and budesonide are indicators of allergy to certain steroid hormones used to treat eczema.
