AbstractEczema affecting hands and feet is one of the most common causes of visit to a dermatologist. It can take a chronic course leading to significant agony to the patient and also pose a therapeutic challenge to the treating doctor. Clinical presentation, symptomatology and disease activity varies from patient to patient. One of the crucial step in the management includes identification of any underlying contact allergen and avoiding it. At present, patch test remains as the only scientific proof of allergic contact dermatitis. As it is not possible to test a person for all known or unknown allergens, a good history, clinical examination will guide us to determine the allergens to be tested. In our study we have made an attempt to analyse the pattern of allergens causing hand and foot eczema in our local population.
Aim and Objectives: To identify the causative allergen by patch testing using Indian standard series, in patients with hand and foot eczema.
Material and Methods: Fifty patients with hand and foot eczema were included in the study and patch test was done using Indian standard series of allergens.
Results: 64% patients showed positivity to at least one allergen. Parthenium was the most common allergen, followed by potassium dichromate and paraphenylene diamine. Allergen profile varied between patients with hand eczema and foot eczema.
Conclusion: High index of suspicion to perform patch testing and proper interpretation of results is essential for successful treatment of hand and foot eczema, especially in recurrent and recalcitrant cases.
