Yes, thank you for your help. I too thought of this. My feet are fine. Is it
common to have this condition only on your hands?
Larry Preuss wrote:
> In article <3765E48C.B20BB2DB at home.com>, Scott <scott at home.com> wrote:
>> >I have had for nearly 3 years a moderate to severe dermatitis on both
> >hands. Only the palmar surface of the fingers are affected, with
> >occasional spreading to the palms. Tiny blisters form that rupture
> >through the skin and create tiny open sores that heel slowly. At times
> >my hands have become lichonified with thick, irritable skin. The onset
> >of this dermatitis did not accompany any changes in my life or home. No
> >detergents, soaps, clothing, furniture, etc. were changed either.
> > I have been worked up by an immunologist who told me that he did not
> >know what the cause was treated me empirically with a steroid cream. I
> >was tested for every allergen that he ( the immunologist) suspected.
> >Now, I am a medical student and the obvious suspect is latex. However,
> >I have tested negative for a latex RAST, and the symptoms seem to be
> >independent of glove type, size, latex v. non latex, powdered v non
> >powdered, etc... It does not seem to matter if have been wearing gloves
> >alot or not.
> >
> >QUESTION #1 Does anyone have any ideas as to what may be causing
> >this? Or has anyone seen someone with some kind of hypersensitivity
> >that is limited to only a portion of the hands?
> >
> >Question#2 What are the possible side effects of long-term
> >corticosteroid cream (fluocinonide 0.1%) application to the hands, as it
> >seems I may be forced to use this for years to come?
> >
> >Thank you for your help
> >Scott
>> Scott, this sounds very much like dyshidrosis, and the people to consult
> about it are he dermatologists rather than the allergists. It would be
> extremely rare to see a contact hypersensitivity reaction affecting the
> palms of the hands and not the dorsa as well. The skin of the palm is so
> tough, compared to that of the back of the hand, that is is almost never
> affected alone. There are special cases, such as that of a butcher who used
> a knife with a cocabola wood handle, but such cases are pretty obvious.
> Latex is certainly not the obvious offender here.
>> --
> Larry Preuss
> Ann Arbor, MI
> USA
