ABSTRACT
Iodine is a nonmetallic element of the halogen group that is represented by the atomic symbol I, atomic number 53, and atomic weight of 126.90. Contact allergy to and allergic contact dermatitis from iodine are well-known but have not been frequent. In the 1930s iodine sensitivity was found in about 1 per cent of all patients tested at the Finsen Institute in Copenhagen. In the 1950s tincture of iodine was gradually replaced with other antiseptics and numbers of sensitization consequently dropped, to almost zero in 1953 in Denmark. In Leuven, Belgium, in the period 1990-2014, iatrogenic contact dermatitis was diagnosed in 2600 individuals. Patients sensitized to iodine may cross-react (or more accurately: pseudo-cross-react) to povidone-iodine and vice versa (see Chapter 3.270 Povidone-iodine).
