Abstract
Background:
Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD), can involve any area of the body. However, the anogenital region remains under-studied and diagnostically challenging.
Objective:
To investigate the association between age and patch test results in women presenting with symptoms suggestive of anogenital ACD.
Methods:
A 10-year retrospective cohort study of female patients with anogenital ACD symptoms who underwent patch testing at a tertiary medical center.
Results:
A total of 150 women were included and divided into two age groups: younger (n
= 86) and older (≥45 years,
n
= 64). Relevant positive reactions were observed in 60% (
n
= 90) of cases. Older women had more frequent reactions to methyldibromoglutaronitrile (MDBGN) (
P
= 0.043), hydroperoxides of limonene (
P
= 0.036) and higher positivity to the medicament series (
P
= 0.039). Sensitivity to Fragrance Mix I was higher among older women with isolated anogenital symptoms (
P
= 0.014). Although the number of tested series was similar, older women had more positive series per patient (
P
= 0.007).
Conclusions:
In this exploratory, hypothesis-generating study, age-related differences in allergen sensitization emerged on patch testing. Selected fragrances, preservatives, and medicament-related allergens were more frequent among women aged ≥45 years, supporting age as an important consideration in the diagnosis and management of women with suspected anogenital ACD.