Exploring the relationship between allergic contact dermatitis and atopic dermatitis in children: insights from a retrospective patch testing analysis

Abstract Background Recent years have seen significant exploration into the potential link between allergic contact dermatitis and atopic dermatitis, yielding contradictory findings. Methods A retrospective cohort analysis of children aged 2 to 18 who underwent patch testing at the pediatric dermatology clinic at a tertiary medical center in Israel was conducted. Results Overall, 367 patients were included in the study, 31.6% of whom were diagnosed with atopic dermatitis. 160 children (43.6%) exhibited a positive reaction to at least one compound in the European baseline series. There was no statistically significant difference in reactivity between children with atopic dermatitis and those without ( P = 0.848). Sub‐analyses based on ethnicity, gender, and age did not reveal significant differences in overall European baseline series reactivity ( P = 0.612, P = 0.446, P = 0.488, respectively). Sensitivity was notably higher when patch readings were conducted 72 h after application compared to 48 h [0.95 (CI: 0.91–0.97) vs. 0.60 (CI: 0.55–0.66)]. Conclusions Patch testing is imperative for suspected cases of allergic contact dermatitis in all children, regardless of their atopic background. Further research is warranted to potentially replace the traditional 48‐h reading with a single 72‐h reading in future guidelines, contributing to enhanced efficiency and cost‐effectiveness in clinical practice.