Evolution of methylisothiazolinone sensitization: A Belgian multicentric study from 2014 to 2019.
(2021) Contact dermatitis — Vol. 85, n° 6, p. 643-649 (2021)
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- Authors
Aerts, Olivier 
Jacobs, Marie-Claude Scheers, Christel
- Abstract
- (en) BACKGROUND: In the 2010s an epidemic of allergic contact dermatitis to methylisothiazolinone (MI) occurred in Europe. European authorities banned the use of methylisothiazolinone in leave-on cosmetics in 2017 and limited its use in rinse-off products in 2018. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the sensitization rate to MI in Belgium between January 2014 and December 2019, and to assess cosensitizations to octylisothiazolinone (OIT) and benzisothiazolinone (BIT) in MI-sensitized patients. METHODS: A retrospective study of patch test results with MI, OIT, and BIT observed in patients attending five Belgian hospitals. RESULTS: Overall, 560 of 10 029 patients (5.58%) had a positive patch test reaction to MI, and its sensitization rate decreased from 7.9% in 2014 to 3.1% in 2019. Rinse-off cosmetics, paints, and detergents were the most prevalent sensitization sources in recent years. Simultaneous reactions readily occurred to OIT, and, surprisingly, and increasingly, also to BIT. CONCLUSIONS: Contact allergy to MI in Belgium has reached a pre-epidemic level, reflecting the impact of recent regulatory measures. Leave-on cosmetics, in contrast to rinse-off products, have almost disappeared as sensitization sources in Europe. Paints and detergents also remain problematic. The remarkably high number of patients (co)sensitized to BIT should be a focus of future research.
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Citations
Herman, A., Aerts, O., Jacobs, M.-C., Scheers, C., Gilissen, L., Goossens, A., & Baeck, M. (2021). Evolution of methylisothiazolinone sensitization: A Belgian multicentric study from 2014 to 2019. Contact dermatitis, 85(6), 643-649. https://doi.org/10.1111/cod.13956 (Original work published 2021)