Allergic Contact Dermatitis in Children: Clinical Management and Emerging Allergens

The purpose of this review is to introduce the reader to allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) in children and adolescents and provide an in-depth overview of the diagnostic work-up, the association between the distribution of eczema, child’s age and allergens, differential diagnoses, common and emerging allergens, and the clinical management and available treatment options.

There is an increased awareness in the scientific community of the impact of pediatric ACD. As a result, expert consensus-derived patch test series have been proposed and implemented in clinical practice, and an increasing number of scientific articles on pediatric ACD, ranging from contact points on emerging allergens to detailed educational reviews, have been published. In this review, we have presented several emerging contact allergens.

The diagnostic work-up for pediatric ACD must be tailored to the child’s age, dermatitis patterns, and potential environmental exposures, considering the limited skin surface area available for testing. Additionally, it is crucial to take into account newly reported allergens in the pediatric population.