CHROME ALLERGY
Key Allergens
Chrome allergy rarely occurs by touching the chrome finishings we often associate with the metal. Chrome allergy is linked to a reaction to chromium salts, which are used to manufacture other products such as cement, mortar, leather and paint. Most sufferers of this allergy are from occupational exposure.
Chrome allergy has also been noted after transplantation surgery, mostly associated with hip and knee replacements.
Associated Syndromes
Cross Reactivity
Once exposed and sensitised to chromium the allergy may persist. It is recommended to keep a low chromium diet to improve the condition of the skin. Foods high in chromium are meat, whole grains, legumes, nuts, brewer's yeast, black pepper and other spices, raw sugar, bran cereals, green beans, broccoli, grape juice, orange juice, apple, banana, potato, garlic, red wine, tea and coffee.
Foods high in simple sugars, such as sucrose and fructose were found to be low in chromium and have the additional benefit that they promote chromium loss from the body.
Resources
Websites
DermNet NZ - Chrome Allergy
Science Direct - Chromium
News Medical - Chromium Allergy
Articles and Journals
Contact allergy in Swedish professional ice hockey players, 2024
Analysis of Hexavalent Chromium in Cement Samples From Countries Within and Outside the EU: A Study From the International Contact Dermatitis Research Group, 2023
Contact allergy to metals in metalworkers: A systematic review and meta-analysis, 2022
Is Allergy to Titanium Bone Fixation Plates a Problem? 2022
Precious Contactants: A Case of Professional Allergic Contact Dermatitis in a Jeweler, 2022
Chromium and cobalt release from metallic earrings from the Danish market, 2021
A retrospective investigation of hexavalent chromium allergy in southern Sweden, 2018
Metal allergy in total-joint arthroplasty, 2018
Chromium allergy and dermatitis: prevalence and main findings, 2015
Metal Allergy and Systemic Contact Dermatitis: An Overview, 2012
Low chromate diet in dermatology, 2009
Quantitative aspects of contact allergy to chromium and exposure to chrome-tanned leather, 2002
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