General reviews
Allergic contact dermatitis: general considerations, predisposing conditions and clinical aspects
Contact dermatitis (eczema) is an inflammatory process occurring in the tegument by direct contact with a harmful substance.

First described by Josef Jodassohn in 1895 as the result of exposure to mercury, contact dermatitis is roughly classified as irritant (80 per cent of the cases) and allergic (20 per cent of the cases). Contact
dermatitis represents 4 to 7 per cent of the dermatological disorders, while skin diseases (among which contact dermatitis holds the first place) are responsible for over half of the occupational diseases.