Contact sensitization in patients with chronic wounds: Results of a prospective investigation

Background It is well known that patients with chronic wounds frequently acquire clinically relevant contact sensitizations to skin care products. Objectives The aim of our study was to find out the actual frequency of contact sensitivities in patients with chronic wounds in Germany with particular attention to components of products used in modern wound therapy. Methods We examined the results of a prospective clinical investigation on skin patch tests of patients with chronic wounds. Results Altogether, 45 patients with chronic wounds were tested. In 25 (55.5%) of the examined patients, contact sensitization to at least one substance was detected. The most frequent contact sensitizations were to PVP-iodine (20%), balsam of Peru (15.6%) patients, fragrance mix (11.1%), colophony (8.8%) and potassium dichromate (6.7%). We also found sensitization to the wound dressings Varihesive (TM) (11.1%), Iruxol (TM) N (6.7%) and Comfeel (TM) (2.2%). Conclusions We would like to propagate that therapists who are involved in wound treatment should also pay attention on the ingredients of applied modern wound dressings.