Allergens from the European baseline series

Abstract

The patch test baseline series is the minimum set of contact allergens, which should be included in diagnostic patch testing of all patients suspected of having allergic contact dermatitis. The baseline series is dynamic and subject to modification at regular intervals due to the information about the presence of specific exposures in a geographical area, i.e., a specific industry or prescription habits. A baseline series detects the majority of the relevant contact allergies, but supplementary tests with patient's own products, gloves, working materials, and extra allergens, depending on exposure analysis, are needed to obtain the best evaluation of the patient's dermatitis [Bruze et al. (2005) Contact Dermatitis 52:24-28; Bruze et al. (2008) Contact Dermatitis 58:129-133]. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.