Extended Understanding of Pathogenesis and Treatment of Contact Allergy

While the pathogenesis of contact allergy in recent years has increasingly focused on the mechanisms of the innate immune response, valid therapeutic options are still lacking.
This article intends to shed light on the background of contact allergy development as well as possible risk factors and to highlight potential new therapeutic options.
Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) as well as the sensitization and trigger phase, potential risk factors as well as the therapy options including (current) PubMed-listed literature are described.
Inflammation plays a central role in ACD. The innate immune system responds to contact allergens as well as to infection. Elucidation of the mechanisms will enable a targeted therapeutic intervention in the future.
Although there is still a need for research, many parts of the contact allergy pathogenesis are now better understood. In particular, the essential role of the innate immune response not only for the sensitization but also for the elicitation phase seems to be established. Implementation of today’s knowledge into new therapeutic approaches and their application testing remains important and exciting.