Allergic contact dermatitis among construction workers detected in a clinic that did not specialize in occupational dermatitis

BACKGROUND: Contact dermatitis is one of the common work-related dermatoses. Among bricklayers, cement can cause both allergic contact dermatitis and primary contact irritative dermatitis. The personal protective equipment (rubber gloves) may favor the development of allergic contact dermatitis. OBJECTIVES: 1) to evaluate the frequency of allergic contact dermatitis among construction workers between January 2005 and December 2009; 2) to determine the major sensitizing agents in the study group; and 3) to compare the data obtained from the construction workers to that of a group of patients who were not construction workers. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patch tests. Patients were separated into two groups: 1) bricklayers and 2) non-bricklayers. RESULTS: Of the 525 patch tests analyzed, 466 (90%) were from non-bricklayers and 53 (10%) from bricklayers. The hands were affected in 38 (61%) of them. 13 patients (24%) had irritative contact dermatitis and 40 (76%) had allergic contact dermatitis. The group of construction workers had a high frequency of sensitization to cement, and 29 (54.7%) had sensitization to rubber vulcanizing agents. 23 patients (43.4%) had sensitization to both cement and rubber. CONCLUSIONS: Among the bricklayers the presence of allergic contact dermatitis to rubber and cement in the same patient is common and demonstrates the importance of the patch test.