Detecting causes of allergy in the home
As part of the FRAGRANCE ALLERGY project, a new chemical analysis method was developed to assess the fragrance allergens contained within commonly used household products. Results showed these to be different from those present in cosmetics. Using these novel findings, a new diagnostic screening series was developed and tested on a large number of hand eczema patients. The studies demonstrated that currently available diagnostic tests failed to pick up on chemical allergens implicated in allergic reactions in more than 10% of the tested patients. These allergens were covered by the new diagnostic series, which includes all 10 newly identified allergens. It is believed that these results will aid improvements in primary prevention by expanding the list of allergens implicated in eczema. These compounds should also be considered for risk assessment and could form the basis of diagnostic tools for secondary prevention.
