During the Paris Dermatological Days, methylisothiazolinone won the title “allergen of the decade”.
- Methylisothiazolinone (MIT) is a preservative found, among other things, in water-based paints and cleaning, cosmetic or consumer products.
- Essential oils, leather, Brazil nuts, sheep’s milk, red meat and organ meats can trigger allergic reactions.
Many everyday products can cause allergic reactions. During the Paris Dermatological Days which took place virtually from 1er on December 5, several health professionals presented “the allergens of the decade”. The palm goes to methylisothiazolinone (MIT), a preservative found among other things in water-based paints and cleaning, cosmetic or consumer products.
Keep the product in question to test it
MIT is responsible for many cases of allergic contact eczema. The number of allergic reactions has been reduced in recent years by its ban in leave-on cosmetic products in 2017 and the concentration limitation in rinse-off products in 2018.”Nevertheless, MIT is still present and can cross with other isothizolinones, not authorized in cosmetics, such as benzysothiazolinone or octylisothiazolinone (OIT)adds Dr. Emmanuelle Amsler, allergist at Tenon Hospital in Paris. This used as a biocide during the tanning of leather can lead to contact allergies to certain leather objects..”
Essential oils are also providers of sometimes severe and often unrecognized contact allergies. Their “natural” side often hides their responsibility from patients when eczema occurs. The fashion for false nails, gel capsules and semi-permanent varnishes has led to allergic eczema to methacrylates both among beauty professionals and among users who sometimes have recourse to do-it-yourself kits sold on the internet. “In the event of a contact allergy with any product, it is desirable to keep the product in order to test it in order to be able to highlight rare allergens, absent from the available test batteries, or even new allergens”, advises the allergist.
The iGe assay detects allergens
New eating habits have given rise to new allergies. The consumption of products such as Brazil nuts, cashew nuts or pine nuts are particularly in question. Recently, an allergy to red meat and offal has been demonstrated, linked to the presence of a sugar α-gal (galactose α1-3 galactose) in the meat of non-primate mammals, patients becoming sensitized after tick bite. “The particularity of these allergy symptoms (urticarial reactions which can go as far as anaphylactic shock) is their often late onset, 3 to 6 hours after ingestion of the food.”, specifies Emmanuelle Amsler.
Severe allergies to sheep’s milk and goat’s milk have also appeared in recent years, in patients without associated cow’s milk allergy and frequently atopic. These allergens may be present in prepared meals. “On the diagnostic level, the contribution of the assay of recombinant specific IgE now allows the detection of the different allergens of a food and the prediction of the clinical risk in the event of ingestion.”, concludes the specialist.
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