Contact Sensitization to Allergens of Biological Origin from the Compositae Family and Original Extracts of Ubiquitous Weed Plants of Vojvodina among Patients with Chronic Venous Insufficiency

BACKGROUND: The use of alternative treatment methods, particularly medicinal herbs from the family Compositae, significantly contributes to the increase in the incidence of allergic contact dermatitis among patients with chronic venous insufficiency. OBJECTIVE: Estimating frequency of contact sensitization among patients with chronic venous insufficiency and determining the most common contact sensitizers from the series of bio-origin allergens from the Compositae family and ubiquitous weeds of Vojvodina. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The total number of 266 patients with suspected contact dermatitis was divided into two groups: the experimental group consisted of patients with chronic venous insufficiency (EG), and the control group consisted of patients without chronic venous insufficiency (CG). All subjects were tested with allergens of biological origin from the family Compositae, screening allergen SL-mix and original extracts of ubiquitous weed plants of Vojvodina. RESULTS: Patch test revealed a positive reaction to allergens of the Compositae family in 6.69% in the experimental group, and in 4.17% in the control group. The standardized response rate to the SL-mix in the experimental group was 2.07%, while in the control group, it was 1.51%. The presence of a positive reaction to at least one extract of ubiquitous weed plants of Vojvodina was determined in 6.11% in the experimental group, and in 3.23% of patients in the control group. No statistically significant difference in response rates was found between the examined groups. CONCLUSIONS: Establishing the diagnosis of Compositae dermatitis can be supplemented by additional testing with weed plant extracts from a specific geographical area, resulting in the detection of novel unknown allergens.