The young woman bought a new, impressive earrings and a necklace, which included nickel. After a short time of wearing on the ear flaps and on the neck, erythema appeared and numerous lumps and exudative vesicles appeared beneath the skin. Then exudate and skin erosions appeared. Diagnosis by an allergist - allergy to nickel. The picture of the jewelry eliminated the symptoms of sensitization. Similar artificial contact allergens may be synthetic fibers produced from crude oil. from the so-called polyester, which can be found in almost every garment fabric, ie in shirts, clothing, upholstery.
How often do you feel about nickel?
Nickel is currently considered the most common sensitizing contact allergen.
This metal is mainly sensitized in two situations - by contact with nickel-plated objects and by the touch of alloys in which it enters. Women are more sensitive than men due to their wearing of artificial jewelery containing nickel - necklace, earrings, etc. (See the case of sensitization of a young woman described at the beginning). It often gives changes distant from the point of contact with the body - so-called. nickel ids.
What nickel products most often sensitize?
This metal is commonly found in artificial jewelry, belt buckles, bra bras, watches worn on the hand, zip fasteners, some metal alloys. The list of sensitizing nickel products is long and, in fact, we do not always know that this popular component of many metal alloys is part of a particular jewelry or spectacle frames.
However, on the basis of the research, a list of metal products can be prepared, in which we can expect the presence of this allergen: (We give it starting from products that are more sensitized):
- watch in a metal envelope,
- earrings,
- bra buttons,
- rings,
- garters,
- glasses (metal frames),
- necklaces,
- electronic components,
- carpentry fittings,
- belt buckle,
- metal buttons,
- thimble, coins,
- dental tools,
- chemical reagents,
- knitting machine,
- hair clip,
- bracelets,
- sliders,
- scissors,
- keys,
- pens,
- shoes fastening,
- cutlery, etc.
Can small amounts of nickel in feet with other metals be sensitized?
Yes, nickel is a very strong contact allergen. It is enough to contact the skin with its small amount, even when it is in the foot with other metals, so that the skin eczema occurs. An allergy to jewelry containing 99% of 24-carat gold was found, and only minimal amounts of nickel (!). People who are sensitive to nickel even sensitize to so-called white gold, which is an alloy of precious metal with various metals, including a small amount of nickel.
Who is most at risk for nickel allergy?
First of all, as we have already mentioned, women are at risk because of frequent contact with jewelery containing nickel, clothespins, etc. This is true in all developed countries. But in the third world countries there are reversed proportions - there, because women do not wear nickel-based jewelry, and men often wear nickel-plated watches on their hands. The second group, in which nickel allergy is particularly frequent, are young people (due to frequent contact with cheap nickel jewelry), especially women over 30 years of age - an example of which is the case of a young woman described at the beginning. After the age of 60, nickel hypersensitivity is rare. The third group of people at risk of nickel allergy are patients with atopy.
Is it possible to be allergic to nickel through food?
Yes, it is a peculiarity of nickel allergy that you can be sensitized by oral (and even inhalation, in some professions). By an oral route, we can be sensitized if the metal is in the foot of the water pipes from which we drink water. The reason for sensitization may also be the abundance of nickel in the food. In some patients sensitized to this metal, it may result in pruritus, sowing of skin lesions, as well as disease development, i.e. exacerbation of cutaneous eczema outbreaks.
What foods rich in nickel should be avoided?
For highly sensitized people, a special diet has been developed that recommends avoiding herring, asparagus, beans, mushrooms, onions, corn, spinach, tomatoes, peas, lettuce, carrots, pears, rhubarb, cocoa, chocolate and beer as food products containing particularly much of this metal.
cd - s 2
How common is allergy to chrome?
Chromium in Poland has been the most common contact allergy for many years. Since the 1980s, the percentage of people allergic to this metal has decreased slightly. However, this allergy was and still remains more frequent than in most Western countries.
Is allergy to chromium a health risk?
Chromium is a strong allergen, which causes primarily contact eczema, characterized by chronic course and frequent relapses. Therefore, allergy to chromium is a serious health problem and makes the life of patients ill.
How does allergy to chromium come about?
For a long time, it was thought that the main reason for sensitization is frequent contact between patients and the allergen present in many subjects. However, it turned out that the most important reason for allergy is permanent skin contact with substances containing a lot of specific compounds of this metal - such as those found in cement, glass cleaning agents ("chromate"), industrial oils, some paints and tanneries, matches , wood impregnates, fresh print. Mostly they are so-called occupational hazards.
Is chrome in cement a big health risk?
Yes, this chemical compound in which there is chromium in the cement is a major health risk. An example is the case of sensitization to the metal compound described in the introduction, which is contained in cement that is relatively common among masons. Skin tests carried out among masons with extensive work experience - prove the universality of sensitization to this strong allergen. Hypersensitivity to chromium compounds was found in as many as four out of five construction workers. (!) In Denmark and Finland, where the "hypoallergenic cement" has been introduced obligatory since the 1980s - i.e. without any allergenic chromium compounds - the sensitization to this metal has clearly decreased , so far frequent among masons and other construction workers. The tendency to introduce hypoallergenic cement is worldwide and can significantly reduce the risk of eczema.
What other professional groups are exposed to allergy to chromium compounds?
A large professional group exposed to chromium sensitization are car mechanics, tinsmiths, turners, drivers and other people in contact with industrial oils. Chromium is sometimes added to these products as an anti-corrosion agent. And almost always appears as an impurity during mechanical metalworking. Also galvanizing liquids and surfaces of galvanized metals are also allergenic.
Are there other sources of chromium sensitization?
Analyzing sources of allergies to chromium, it was found that tanned skin is a frequent cause of sensitization. In Dani, out of 79 people using such skin allergic to metal, 19 people turned out. (for the 14th source of the allergen there were shoes, for 4 - gloves, and for 2 - other leather goods.). In analogous studies in Warsaw (before 1980), more than 80% of people were allergic to tanning skin containing chromium. Nowadays skin tanning technology has fundamentally changed (chromium compounds have been significantly reduced) and only 15% of respondents are now sensitized. Usually, they are people with very strong allergies (hypersensitivity) to chromium, i.e. responding to a concentration 50 times lower than that which is normally sensitized.
Chrome as metal does not harm health, why is it an allergen?
Metallic chrome is completely devoid of sensitizing properties, and even in small quantities it is an essential bioelement that allows important metabolic processes (it participates in glucose metabolism, a component of many enzymes).It should be remembered, however, that sweat, saliva and blood plasma as well as industrial technologies (cement, tannins, etc.) can transform this metal into compounds that are very strong contact allergens. The role of saliva is particularly important in this transformation, as we often encounter chromium in food and drinking water.
Which foods rich in chromium should be avoided by people who are particularly hypersensitive to this metal?
First of all, you should avoid calf liver, chicken, bran and wheat germ, brewer's yeast - which is among the foods that are particularly rich in chromium.
cd - s 3
Do not precious metals sensitize?
That was until recently thought, especially in terms of gold. However, recently with the help of sensitive skin tests it has been observed that this noble metal causes allergic contact eczema in quite a large group of people (from 1 to 23%) (!)
The jewelry most often sensitize the gold earrings, and the second place rings.
Allergy to gold is particularly intense in summer, when a lot of metal is leached out of sweat.
Can gold - a component of anti-rheumatic drugs - sensitize?
Ever since gold became a drug for rheumatoid arthritis in the 1970s, it has been noticed that treatment with it can cause unwanted reactions from various organs. Although it was long doubtful whether the observed changes are allergy-like, observations make this a supposition. It happens, for example, that an allergic eczema occurs in the patient after the injection of gold at the site of the former contact with jewelry, which wearing it so far has not hurt.
How often does allergy to cobalt occur?
Relatively rarely, this allergen is the sole cause of allergic eczema. Usually, allergy to cobalt coexists with allergy to chromium or nickel, which results from the common sources of these allergens. There is also similar treatment in avoiding allergens and treatment.
Ed. Edward Ozga - Michalski
Consultation dr hab. Andrzej Danysz
