Contact Dermatitis Due to Irritation

Abstract

Irritant contact dermatitis (ICD), defined as “a nonimmunologic local inflammatory reaction characterized by erythema, edema, or corrosion following single or repeated application of a chemical substance to an identical cutaneous site” (Mathias and Maibach 1994), is a leading cause of occupational disease in dermatology and causes economic damage to workers, companies, and social security systems world-wide. The perception of ICD as more trivial than the more intellectually appealing problem of allergic sensitization has recently changed dramatically. In Germany, skin diseases are the second most frequent occupational disease following museuloskeletal disorders, and most oeeupational dermatoses are eases of contact dermatitis. Among these ICD is probably more frequent than allergic contact dermatitis (ACD), although reliable data are still very limited. In contrast to ACD, ICD is defined as being the result of a primarily unspecific damage to the skin. It is not a clinical entity, but rather a spectrum of diseases. The clinical aspect of ICD is determined by the dose-effect relationship (Patil and Maibach 1994). The morphology of acute ICD shows erythema, edema, vesicles that may coalesce, bullae, and oozing (Figs. 1, Figs. 2). Necrosis and ulceration is seen with corrosive materials (Fig. 3).