Reproducibility of irritant patch test reactions to sodium lauryl sulfate in a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized study using clinical scoring. Results from a study group of the German Contact Dermatitis Research Group (Deutsche Kontaktallergie-Gruppe, DKG).
Reading of doubtful patch test reactions can be improved by comparing them to defined negative, allergic and irritant controls. For the latter, an irritant patch test is needed that gives sufficiently reproducible results. In our double-blind, placebo-controlled. randomized study, we have analysed the synchronous reproducibility of patch tests with 0%, 0.0625%, 0.125%, 0.25%, 0.5% and 1.0% sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). Tests and readings were done according to ESCD guidelines. 139 patients (75 women, 64 men) 18 to 77 years old were tested. The % of positive patients as well as the % of reproducible positive reactions increased with rising concentrations of SLS to a maximum of approximately 9…
Diagnostics of autoimmune bullous diseases in German dermatology departments
Summary Background: No consistent data are available on the currently employed diagnostic tools for autoimmune bullous diseases in Germany. The aim of this survey was to describe currently performed diagnostic methods for bullous autoimmune diseases in German dermatology departments. Methods: A standardized questionnaire evaluated the available diagnostic methods i. e. direct immunofluorescence microscopy (IFM), indirect IFM, commercial ELISA systems, and non-commercial serological tests as well as the number of samples per year in all 34 university and 39 non-university dermatology departments. Results: The overall return rate was 89 %, 100 % and 79 % for the university and non-university …