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Prick Testing in Hand Eczema

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Textbook of Hand Eczema

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Abstract

The skin prick test (SPT) is the most widely used test for detecting immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated hypersensitivity caused by food, inhalant, venom, or drug allergens or when the clinical picture indicates the possibility of an acute allergic hypersensitivity. This technique is simple to perform, gives rapid results, and is relatively painless. The risk of a systemic reaction during testing is much smaller than using other techniques in vivo (e.g., intradermal testing). Besides, the SPT is inexpensive and can also be performed with nonstandardized allergens or extracts obtained from the suspected allergen. There are a few modifications of the SPT (e.g., prick-prick, open and closed tests). The pathogenesis of the positive SPT represents a type I hypersensitivity reaction, mediated by allergen-specific IgE antibodies in a previously sensitized individual. SPT measures sensitization and not clinical disease. Therefore, a positive SPT should always be correlated to the patient’s case history, including exposure to the suspected allergen. The SPT should be part of the routine investigation of patients with hand eczema in high-risk occupations for occupational contact urticaria, especially if there is a history of atopy and exposure to urticants.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Occupational and Environmental Dermatology, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital, Jan Waldenströms Gata 18 Ingang 73, Plan 5, Malmö, SE, 20502, Sweden

    Marléne A. I. Isaksson M.D., Ph.D.

  2. Allergologist and Clinical Immunologist, Allergy Center, Vilnius University Antakalnio Hospital, Antakalnio 124, Vilnius, 10200, Lithuania

    Laura Malinauskiene M.D.

Authors
  1. Marléne A. I. Isaksson M.D., Ph.D.
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  2. Laura Malinauskiene M.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marléne A. I. Isaksson M.D., Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA

    Ali Alikhan

  2. Department of Dermatology, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium

    Jean-Marie Lachapelle

  3. Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA

    Howard I. Maibach

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Isaksson, M.A.I., Malinauskiene, L. (2014). Prick Testing in Hand Eczema. In: Alikhan, A., Lachapelle, JM., Maibach, H. (eds) Textbook of Hand Eczema. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39546-8_25

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39546-8_25

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