ABSTRACT
Nickel, a metal found frequently in jewelry, is a common cause of ACD in industrialized countries.4 Jensen et al. evaluated whether a Danish regulation implemented in 1992 that decreased nickel exposure had an impact on the prevalence of nickel sensitization in girls with pierced ears.5 They provided questionnaires and patch testing to 534 girls from seven high schools and two production schools (mean age 18.8 years, range 17-22) and 427 fi fth and sixth grade girls from 12 public schools (mean age 12.4 years, range 10-14), to examine girls who would have had their ears pierced before and after implementation of the nickel exposure regulation, respectively. Both the older-aged girls (with and without ear piercings) and girls who had their ears pierced before 1992 had an increased prevalence of nickel sensitization. Specifi - cally, 17.1% of the older girls demonstrated a positive patch test to nickel compared to 3.9% of the younger girls. Also, the prevalence of nickel sensitization was signifi cantly higher in girls with their ears pierced before 1992 compared with girls with unpierced ears (OR 3.3, p = .004). Thus, the authors conclude that the study has demonstrated a decrease in nickel sensitivity in Denmark after implementation of the nickel
regulation and that currently, ear piercing does not seem to be a critical factor for the development of nickel contact allergy.
