Occupational carprofen photoallergic contact dermatitis

Abstract

Carprofen is a potent photoallergen. These cases emphasize the importance of photopatch testing, and considering agents not included in standard series, when investigating patients presenting with a photoexposed site dermatitis.

Phototoxic and Photoallergic Reactions

“…Carprofen, a NSAID no more used in humans, induced photoallergic contact dermatitis in workers who manufacture the drug for animals [82,83]. Also, we observed cases of photosensitivity in nurses and family members who had to smash the tablets of chlorpromazine to give to their patients/relatives [62].…”

Generation of reactive intermediates in photoallergic dermatitis

“…Since the 1970s, these drugs have been available for topical treatment of inflammatory conditions and pain. As regards photoallergic dermatitis elicited by NSAIDs, it is more frequent for the topically administered drugs, although a number of cases of photoallergy caused by systemic administration have also been reported [25,26].…”

“…1) is a related NSAID that was withdrawn from the market for human use in the 1990s; currently, it is restricted to veterinary use. Occupational photoallergic dermatitis to carprofen has been reported in pharmaceutical factory workers, who present with facial dermatitis after exposure to low doses of UVA [26]. The major photodegradation pathway of carprofen is dehalogenation from the triplet-excited state [41].…”

Photoallergic Contact Dermatitis

“…Other chemicals are much less photoallergenic and with the introduction of new agents to market, it is important to have predictive information available on photoallergic potential. 81 If photoallergy is suspected with new agents, human volunteer testing should be considered in an attempt to avoid large-scale exposure of the population to potentially potent photosensitizers once these have reached the marketplace. 78,79 However, there are limitations with animal models and no standardized methodology has been agreed.…”