Unusual skin reactions to aluminum patch test seen in some children

Two young girls who were patch tested for aluminum contact allergy because of persistent pruritic postvaccinal nodules had atypical results. Instead of the usual eczematous reaction confined to the test area, they exhibited erythema and papules distant from the test area.

In one girl, the reaction consisted of erythematous itchy papules across much of her back on day 2, and by day 4, there were even papules on her chest. In the other girl, erythema, infiltration, and occasional papules covered the whole patch area, and erythematous papules also were seen at some distance from the test area, Nadia Raison-Peyron, MD, of Saint-Eloi Hospital, Montpellier, France, and her colleagues, reported in Pediatric Dermatology.

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Biopsies were not performed because of the girls’ young age.

cpalmer@mdedge.com

SOURCE: Raison-Peyron N et al. Pediatr Dermatol. 2018. doi: 10.1111/pde.13481.