Itchy Ear? You Might Be Allergic to Your Cellphone

I have heard of people addicted to their Blackberry® (not me of course), but allergic to your Blackberry? Turns out, it is possible.

An 18-year-old patient from Rhode Island was found to be allergic to his cellphone. The case was reported in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. He presented with an itchy rash on his face as well as on his abdomen.

Rashes on the abdomen sometimes indicate a nickel allergy. The snaps in jeans and belt buckles are often made of nickel and contact the skin on the lower abdomen. Suspicious that the rash on the patient’s face could also be to nickel, the dermatologist tested the cellphone — it was strongly positive for free nickel.

The patient changed to a nickel free cellphone and his dermatitis cleared. When he went back to using his old cellphone the rash returned.

The dermatologists published a list of cellphones that contained nickel here. You can also order your own nickel test kit to use at home here.

Bercovitch L, Luo J. Cellphone contact dermatitis with nickel allergy. CMAJ. 2008 Jan 1;178(1):23-4. Copyright 1995-2008, Canadian Medical Association. All rights reserved. ISSN 1488-2329 (e) 0820-3946 (p)

January 11, 2008 | Filed Under Allergies, Dermatology News, Rashes | Leave a Comment

Eczema Associated with Certain Blood Pressure Medications

Do you have a chronic, itchy rash?

For most patients in winter, eczema is the result of dry, cold air — a condition called asteatotic eczema. It is common and can occur in people from Boston to San Diego.

For some elderly patients, however, chronic eczema can be caused by a blood pressure medication. A new study from the Journal of Investigative Dermatology found that patients on calcium channel blockers (CCBs) were more likely to have eczema than those who were not taking these blood pressure pills. They also found that the skin rash resolved in 68% of patients who stopped their CCB.

Blood pressure pills should never be changed without consulting your physician. If you have a skin rash and are on a CCB, then discuss this with your physician.

Calcium channel blocker (CCB) medications include nifedipine (Adalat, Procardia), nicardipine (Cardene), bepridil (Vascor), isradipine (Dynacirc), nimodipine (Nimotop), felodipine (Plendil), amlodipine (Norvasc), diltiazem (Cardizem), and verapamil (Calan, Isoptin).