Contact Sensitivity in Pruritus Vulvae: Patch Test Results and Clinical Outcome

Contact dermatitis of the vulva

“…In the study by Lewis et al. (6), it is important to note that 47% of patients with lichen sclerosus had positive patch tests. Lichen simplex chronicus can be triggered by various factors.…”

“…Irritant contact dermatitis of the vulva is the commonest condition overall, although the published reports reviewing the etiology of pruritus vulvae (2–8) indicate that irritant contact dermatitis was reported specifically in only one series at 22.8% of a mix of male and female patients (7).…”

“…Vulvar allergic contact dermatitis has been studied only in the past 12 years, with the first report in 1990 (22) and with the first significant study of 135 women in 1992 (4). There have been eight relevant reports, of which seven were limited to women ( 2–8). Most of these studies were investigating causes of vulvar pruritus or dermatoses (see Table 3).…”

“…Of these subjects, 50% had their symptoms improve with nickel avoidance. Allergic contact dermatitis has not been found to be relevant in patients with vulvodynia (2,6,23,24).…”

“…From an Australian vulvar clinic, 15% of cases had contact dermatitis (2). There have been several large series evaluating vulvar contact sensitivity, but the overall incidence in the general population is unclear (3–8).…”