Occupational and Environmental Health: Recognizing and Preventing Disease and Injury - Multiple Choice Questions - Learn & Prevent

Patch tests are used to distinguish which type of contact dermatitis?

1. Irritant

2. Allergic

3. Both A and B

4. Neither A nor B

The correct answer is: Allergic

Patch tests are a type of diagnostic procedure used to determine if a person is allergic to a specific substance. They are commonly used to identify the allergen causing contact dermatitis, an itchy and inflamed skin reaction. Contact dermatitis can either be irritant or allergic in nature. The incorrect options may be misleading because they suggest that only one type of contact dermatitis can be identified through patch testing. However, patch tests are specifically designed to identify the allergen causing the allergic form of contact dermatitis, making option B the correct answer. Option A, irritant contact dermatitis, can be diagnosed through a physical examination and history-taking rather than patch testing. Option C, both A and B, is incorrect because patch tests are not used to identify irritant contact dermatitis. Finally, option D, neither A nor B, does not accurately reflect the purpose of patch tests in identifying allergic