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Biomedical subjects

N Hunziker

Publications and source records attributed to N Hunziker.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Contact hypersensitivity to corticosteroids in routine patch test patients. A multi-centre study of the Swiss Contact Dermatitis Research Group.

BACKGROUND: Contact hypersensitivity to corticosteroids is increasingly reported and has been identified as a problem of considerable clinical relevance. The prevalence of positive patch tests to corticosteroids ranges from 0.2 up to 5%. OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of positive patch tests to corticosteroids in Switzerland was determined in a multi-centre study of patients undergoing routine patch tests. METHODS: As representatives of corticosteroid groups, the following substances were used for screening: tixocortol pivalate and hydrocortisone for group A (hydrocortisone type), hydrocortisone butyrate for group D (hydrocortisone butyrate type) and budesonide for both groups B (triamcinolone type) and D. Patients positive for at least one corticosteroid were retested with the screening series and 12 corticosteroids commonly used in Switzerland. RESULTS: Among 3,016 consecutive patients, 65 individuals (2.2%) with a total of 106 positive reactions were found. Retesting showed a concordance of 70-98%, depending on the corticosteroid and the score of the positive reaction. In the subsequently tested corticosteroid series including 12 substances, 19 out of 56 screening-positive patients had a positive result to one or several corticosteroids. There were only few evident cross-reactive patterns in between the corticosteroids tested. CONCLUSIONS: Corticosteroids should be included in routine patch testing, because contact sensitization to a corticosteroid is of considerable practical importance. We confirm that as markers of corticosteroid sensitization tixocortol pivalate, budesonide and hydrocortisone butyrate may be suited, because there is no single corticosteroid which is a marker for all four corticosteroid groups. Patch test reactions of 2+ or higher have a better reproducibility than 1+ reactions.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1994

Frequency of sensitization to 13 common preservatives in Switzerland. Swiss Contact Dermatitis Research Group.

From February 1989 to January 1990, the Swiss Contact Dermatitis Research Group conducted a 1-year study to examine the frequency of sensitization to a series of 13 common preservatives. A group of 2295 consecutive outpatients with suspected allergic contact dermatitis (age range 7-90 years, with a mean age of 42; 911 males, 1384 females) was tested. The %s of positive reactions to the preservatives studied are as follows, in descending order: formaldehyde 5.7%, benzalkonium chloride 5.5%, Kathon CG 5.5%, thimerosal 4.2%, chlorhexidine digluconate 2.0%, DMDM hydantoin 1.7%, paraben mix 1.7%, chloroacetamide 1.5%, Bronopol 1.2%, imidazolidinyl urea 1.0%, quaternium 15 1.0%, triclosan 0.8%, 2,4-dichlorobenzyl alcohol 0.4%. These relatively high values suggest a heavy exposure of the Swiss population to topical preservatives. Compared to previous studies, the sensitization rate to Kathon CG has stabilized in Switzerland over the last 2 years. Sensitization to formaldehyde portrayed impressive geographical variation, with sensitization rates up to 9% in western and only 3% in eastern Switzerland. The low sensitization rate to parabens argues for their inclusion in a medicament or preservative series, rather than in the standard series.

Administration, Cutaneous↗
PubMed1994

High sensitization rate to emulsifiers in patients with chronic leg ulcers.

Emulsifiers are common constituents of most topical preparations. To study the sensitization rate in a population with frequent use of these agents, we selected 47 patients with chronic or recurrent (> 1 year) inflammatory skin disease (leg ulcers, contact dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis) for patch testing with the following emulsifiers: Tween 40 (polyoxyethylene sorbitan monopalmitate). Tween 80 (polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate), Span 60 (sorbitan monostearate), Span 80 (sorbitan monooelate), Arlacel 83 (sorbitan sesquioleate), Atlas G 2162 (polyoxyethylene oxypropylene stearate), Atlas G 1441 (polyoxyethylene sorbitol lanolin derivative), triethanolamine, Lanette O (cetylstearyl alcohol), Lanette N. 12 patients had at least 1 positive reaction (25.5%) at 3 or 4 days. Among them, 10 had leg ulcers (43.4% of the leg ulcer group), and 2 had contact dermatitis (13.3% of the contact dermatitis group). No positive reaction was observed in the other patients. When the patients were tested with their own topical preparations or wound dressings, 6 of them, all with leg ulcers, had positive reactions. These results show a surprisingly high prevalence of sensitization to emulsifiers in patients with chronic leg ulcers, in contrast to patients with other inflammatory skin diseases.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1992

Sensitization to the isothiazolinone biocide. Report of the Swiss Contact Dermatitis Research Group 1988-1990.

The rate of sensitization to isothiazolinones (Kathon CG) detected in Switzerland rose from 3.5% (out of 2,491 patients) in 1987 to 6.3% (out of 982 patients) in 1988 and 5.6% (out of 2,295 patients) in 1989-90. This rate of sensitization appears to be related to the more and more widespread use of isothiazolinone biocide in cosmetics, domestic products and in industry.

Cosmetics↗
PubMed1989

Sensitization to Kathon CG in Geneva and Switzerland.

Between October 1986 and June 1987 we patch tested 420 patients with Kathon CG at 100 ppm and obtained 23 positive reactions (5.5%). The other 5 Swiss university clinics joined our study between January and June 1987 and obtained sensitization rates ranging from 0.7 to 7.5%. The total mean value including Geneva was 3.6%. We did threshold patch testing in 12 patients with the following Kathon CG dilutions: 100, 50, 25, 15 and 7 ppm. We observed progressively diminishing skin reactions, especially below 25 ppm, but we still obtained slight positive reactions in 2 patients with Kathon CG at 7 ppm. Those reactions were relevant because the dermatitis disappeared when the use of Kathon-containing creams was discontinued.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Richner-Hanhart syndrome and tyrosinemia type II.

A patient already published a case of Richner-Hanhart syndrome (RHS) (stabilized corneal lesions and hyperkeratotic lesions on the palms and soles) proved to be associated with tyrosinemia type II. 2 other cases (sister and brother) with only typical dermatologic features of RHS and tyrosinemia type II are described. The treatment with a low phenylalanine and tyrosine diet improves the cutaneous lesions in our 3 cases.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Lack of delayed reaction in presence of cell-mediated immunity in trichophytin hypersensitivity.

Five patients with atopy who had chronic dermatophytosis manifested an immediate and strong trichophytin skin reaction but no delayed reaction. This phenomenon may be caused by the neutralization of injected antigen by serum antibodies during the immediate reaction. When we injected a second dose of trichophytin into the wheal of the immediate reaction, 20 minutes after the first injection, a strong delayed reaction was elicited, demonstrating cell-mediated immune responses in these patients.

Adolescent↗