Aims of the European Society of Contact Dermatitis
The purpose of the ESCD is to promote interest, stimulate research, and disseminate information on all aspects of contact dermatitis and other environmental and occupational skin diseases.
To this end the ESCD arranges congresses covering its entire field every other year and supports symposia or conferences confined to themes of special interest.
"Contact Dermatitis" is the main journal of the ESCD for publication of clinical and scientific reports. The society also issues a periodic Newsletter for the benefit of the members.
Address: Thibautstr 3, Heidelberg 69115, Germany
Registration number: VR3405
ESCD Council
For the present council click here .
To take a look at former councils click here .
Recent updates
March 2012:
ESCD working party on patch test guidelines and quality of care in contact dermatitis
There will be an inaugural meeting on 12th June 13.00-17.00. The meeting will be held in the Hilton Hotel, Copenhagen Airport (direct access) from terminal 3. Meeting room: Tyr. Contact Prof Johansen if you intend to attend. jedu@geh.regionh.dk
Obituary March 2012:
We are saddended to report the death of Charles Calnan.
Dr Calnan started the 'Contact Clinic' at St. John's in 1953; he was the first editor of Contact Dermatitis and an original member of the ICDRG.
Richard Rycroft, who worked with Dr Calnan for 10 years, has agreed to write an obituary.
Ian R. White. Dept Cutaneous Allergy,
St John's Institute of Dermatology, UK
Congress 2012:
For further information go to www.escd2012.com
Deadliine 21st May 2012: registration
Jan Wahlberg Lecturer: Joris Muris
Studies on contact allergy to palladium: abstract
Jan Wahlberg was the first to describe cross-reactivity between nickel and palladium in guinea-pigs in 1992. Shortly thereafter in 1995 cross-reactivity was demonstrated on human T-cell recognition level. However, in contrast to nickel, palladium is a precious metal and will not corrode under the influence of hydrogen. Therefore, it is assumed that palladium alloys are rarely relevant for allergic disease. However, metal alloys in contact with body fluids, like saliva and blood, face a hostile electrolytic environment which will lead to corrosion of metallic elements, regardless the nobility. In fact, palladium sensitization is especially relevant in patients with oral disease as again Jan Wahlberg pointed out already in 1990.
The choice for palladium dichloride (PdCl2) as a test allergen is chemically as well as historically remarkable. Our investigations point out that another test allergen, i.e. sodium tetrachloropalladate (Na2[PdCl4]) is more sensitive leading to better test accuracies in both in vivo and in vitro sensitization tests. Approximately 80% of both nickel and palladium reactions are concomitant to one another, leaving mono-sensitization of about 20% to both metals. Of note, nickel and palladium contact allergy now show a similar prevalence in a European multi centre study (n > 1000). Interestingly, in vitro results showed that both Ni and Pd induce mainly Th2 responses, i.e. IL-5 and IL-13 that tightly correlate with the severity of the skin test reactivity.
Interaction of palladium ions with human cells and down-stream immunotoxicological activation mechanisms have been scarcely investigated and we, therefore, set out to study these in more detail. Findings of these studies will be presented at the meeting.
Winners of Travel Grants Malmo 2012
1 Robert Ofenloch
2 Niamh O´Boyle
3 Jennifer Cahill
4 Sonja Molin
5 Laura Marjolijn Pot
6 Laia Curto
7 Philipp Esser
8 Pranee Kasemsarn
9 Eduardo Rozas
10 Pailin Puangpet
11 Anna-Reetta Vauhkala
2011
ESCD Grant
PhD research fellow Dr Laura Pot and Prof Dr Pieter-Jan Coenraads (UMCG Groningen, Netherlands) are very happy to receive an ESCD grant to build an international consortium to collect clinical and genetic data from well-defined cases of contact sensitivity to p-phenylenediamine.
2010
Patch testing of MDI (diphenylmethane-4,4'-diisocyanate):
Chemical analysis of MDI patch-test preparations has shown that degradation of MDI occurs and that in petrolatum dilutions as low as 0.4% instead of 2% might be present (Contact Dermatitis, 2007, 56, 27-34). To improve stability storage of petrolatum preparations should be in the freezer. However, since primary senitization to MDI 2% may occur, it is recommended that the patch-test concentration should be lowered to 0.5% pet.
Photo allergy from Ketoprofen
We encourage all cases of photo-allergic contact dermatitis from ketoprofen to be reported to the respective National Agencies collecting reports on adverse reactions to drugs.
ESCD Sponsored website
The ESCD sponsored website http://www.workhealthy.se/ is now online giving advice on career choice for those with skin disease.
