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Textbook of Hand Eczema pp 69–74Cite as

Irritant Versus Allergic Contact Dermatitis: An Etiopathological Approach

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Abstract

Irritant and allergic contact dermatitis are common inflammatory skin diseases. Although both diseases have very similar clinical presentations, they can be differentiated on pathophysiological grounds. Irritant contact dermatitis (ICD) is a nonspecific inflammatory dermatitis, mainly due to the activation of the innate immune system. Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) corresponds to a delayed-type hypersensitivity response with a skin inflammation mediated by antigen-specific T cells. Better understanding of the pathophysiology of ACD and ICD confirms that the best way to prevent ACD is to prevent the occurrence of ICD.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Allergology and Immunology, Centre Hospitalier Lyon-Sud, Hospices Civils de Lyon, 395 Chemin du Grand Revoyet, Pierre-Bénite, 69495, France

    Audrey Nosbaum M.D. & Jean-François Nicolas M.D., Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Audrey Nosbaum M.D.
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  2. Jean-François Nicolas M.D., Ph.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Audrey Nosbaum M.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA

    Ali Alikhan

  2. Department of Dermatology, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium

    Jean-Marie Lachapelle

  3. Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA

    Howard I. Maibach

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Nosbaum, A., Nicolas, JF. (2014). Irritant Versus Allergic Contact Dermatitis: An Etiopathological Approach. In: Alikhan, A., Lachapelle, JM., Maibach, H. (eds) Textbook of Hand Eczema. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39546-8_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39546-8_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-39545-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-39546-8

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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