DERMATITIS OF THE HANDS DUE TO ATOPIC ALLERGY TO POLLEN

Abstract

DERMATITIS of the hands (eczema) as the sole or major manifestation of inhalant pollen allergy heretofore has not been reported. Since the causative allergens are borne by the blood it constitutes a localized atopic dermatitis. Sensitization resides primarily in the cells of the capillaries of the skin, in contrast to sensitization in the epidermal cells in contact eczema. This atopic dermatitis of the hands due to pollen allergy occurs, or is exaggerated, during the pollen season, coming, as a patient said, "with the plants." It usually occurs on the dorsa of the hands or on the knuckles and on the dorsa and sides of the fingers and between them, and less often on the palms and around the wrists. Usually it is bilateral and fairly symmetric, varying in degree and extent on each hand. Frequently, especially with its yearly recurrences, other areas of the skin may become