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Epidemic Contact Dermatitis due to Dimethyl Fumarate

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Medical Immunology

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Synonyms

2-butenedioic acid; Dimethyl ester; Dimethyl ester; trans-1,2-ethylenedicarboxylic

Definition

Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is the methyl ester of fumaric acid. The fumaric acid is a white crystalline substance whose chemical formula is C4H4O4. It is one of the two unsaturated isomers of dicarboxylic acid. The other one is maleic acid (Silvestre et al. 2010).

The fumaric acid is an intermediate endogenous compound of citric acid used by cells to get energy to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Besides, it is a product of the urea cycle. Human skin is able to produce naturally fumaric acid after sun exposure (Rostami and Mrowietz 2008).

It is present ubiquitously in the plant kingdom. It is an acid of fruits and used as food additive due to its acidifying property. It is considered not toxic (Silvestre et al. 2010).

Historical Background

In autumn 2006, cases of a peculiar severe dermatitis started to emerge in Finland. Buttocks, back, and posterolateral aspects of thighs or arms...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hospital General La Mancha Centro, Avenida de la Constitución, n°3, 13600, Alcázar de San Juan, Ciudad Real, Spain

    Rocio Candon Morillo & Ana María Burgos Montero

Authors
  1. Rocio Candon Morillo
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  2. Ana María Burgos Montero
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rocio Candon Morillo .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia

    Ian R. Mackay

  2. Center for Autoimmune Disease Research, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Noel R. Rose

  3. Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, Tampa, FL, USA

    Dennis K. Ledford

  4. Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, Tampa, FL, USA

    Richard F. Lockey

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Morillo, R.C., Montero, A.M.B. (2014). Epidemic Contact Dermatitis due to Dimethyl Fumarate. In: Mackay, I.R., Rose, N.R., Ledford, D.K., Lockey, R.F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Medical Immunology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9194-1_572

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9194-1_572

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-9193-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-9194-1

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