Korean J Dermatol.  2021 Sep;59(8):611-617.

Patch Test Results in Maritime Foreign Workers

• Seo JM
• Yoon SY
• Rin Koo HY
• Kim GM
• Yu DS
• Lee YB

Abstract

Background
Occupational allergic contact dermatitis accounts for about half of all occupational skin diseases. Patch testing is essential for establishing a diagnosis of occupational allergic contact dermatitis. To date, allergic contact dermatitis caused by seawater has rarely been reported.
Objective
The aim of this study was to investigate the patch test results of seawater in foreign maritime workers.
Methods
We retrospectively reviewed the clinical photos and medical records of patients who underwent the patch test with the Korean standard series and sea-water at Uijeongbu St. Mary’s Hospital and St. Vincent’s Hospital from January 2017 to August 2020.
Results
A total of 26 patients were enrolled in the study. All patients were men with a median age of 26.5 years. Twenty-five patients were Sri Lankan, and 25 patients (96.2%) showed a positive reaction to seawater. Patients showed positive reactions with multiple allergens (average: 4), and the positive rates were higher than those reported in previous studies. Atypical reactions, such as pricking patterns or erosive patches, have been observed. A marked erosive reaction was observed even at the site without allergen attachment in a patient who showed a negative reaction to seawater.
Conclusion
These results suggest the possibility of artificially inducing positive reactions to seawater in maritime workers. Therefore, it is necessary to identify atypical reactions and confirm the relationship between positive reactions and medical history when judging contact dermatitis with unknown substances such as seawater. This study emphasizes education on the standardization of the reading of results.

Keyword

Allergic contact dermatitis; Contact dermatitis; Patch tests; Seawater