ABSTRACT
Although predictive tests can identify potential allergens, it is only through clinical diagnosis studies on patients
with current contact dermatitis that truly causative allergens can be identifi ed. This is, however, not a simple matter and is complicated by practical diffi culties inherent to the technique of patch testing and the physiological nature of type IV allergy and by other practical matters such as the available time and the willingness of patients to submit to prolonged studies.
