Patch testing in children. (I) Collective test results; skin testability in children.

The results of 10 years of patch tests in children with eczema aged between 3 and 16 years are reported. 147 children were tested, of whom 104 (71%) reacted. 334 (6.1%) of 5398 tests were positive and 302 were relevant. 3,539 tests were negative in the 104 children who reacted to at least one substance. 1,525 negative tests were found in 43 children who showed no positive reactions, making a total of 5,064 negative tests among 141 children. The conclusions are: (i) Positive tests are relatively infrequent in children in relation to the large number of tests performed. (ii) The high number of negative results shows that the skin of children can be tested with the concentrations used for adults, and supports the allergic nature of the positive reactions in the series, which were relevant in 90% of the patients.