Outcomes of the European baseline series patch test in the geriatric population
Main Article Content
Keywords
elderly patient, European Baseline Series, fragrance mix, geriatric population, patch test
Abstract
Background: Skin aging causes various immunological and structural changes and increases the risk of many skin diseases such as contact dermatitis.
Objective: Our aim was to share the allergen contact dermatitis sensitivities of the elderly population with the European baseline series (EBS) results.
Materials and methods: Patients aged 65 years and older who were patch tested with EBS in the immunology and allergy clinic between January 1, 2018, and March 1, 2025, were included in the study.
Results: The median age of the 62 patients included in the study was 69.5 years (25–75, 66.0–73.3 years); 54.8% of the patients were female; and 82.3% of the patients were under the age of 75. The rate of at least one positive patch test was 41.9%, and no positivity was observed in approximately half of the allergens included in the EBS. The rate of at least one positive test result was 37.3% in the 65–74 age group and 63.6% in the 75–84 age group (p = 0.177). The rate of at least one positive test result was 35.3% in women and 50% in men (p = 0.243). The most common allergen over the age of 65 was fragrance mix I (11.3%), followed by potassium dichromate (9.7%) and fragrance mix II (9.7%) in equal proportions.
Conclusion: It is also very necessary to create an “elderly baseline series” by avoiding unnecessary allergens that are not detected as positive in patch tests. In addition, increasing the number of studies in geriatric patients will help in understanding trends in contact allergy.
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