WEDNESDAY, Oct. 23, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Dermatitis associated with poppers -- psychoactive inhalants commonly employed in the gay male community -- most commonly affects males identifying as men who have sex with men, according to a review published online Sept. 11 in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology.
Vincent A. Pecora, from the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C., and colleagues conducted a systematic review of 13 published case reports detailing 14 cases of poppers dermatitis to help with identification and management.
The researchers found that patients diagnosed with poppers contact dermatitis ranged in age from 23 to 56 years. Overall, 85 and 15 percent of patients identified as male and female, respectively. All seven of the patients reporting sexual orientation were men who have sex with men. The specific type of alkyl nitrite in the poppers solution was not reported in most cases (57.14 percent). Amyl nitrite was the offending agent in 80 percent of the cases that did report the type of alkyl nitrite, and isobutyl nitrite was identified in one patient. Dermatitis most commonly manifested within one day of exposure (35.7 percent), while 21.4, 21.4, and 14.3 percent of cases presented within one to seven days, one week to one month, and more than one month after exposure, respectively. The most frequently affected anatomic locations were the perinasal and perioral regions (64.3 and 21.4 percent, respectively); the scrotum, penis, thigh, ankle, breast, lip, and nasal regions were less commonly affected. Management included topical steroids, emollients, antibiotics, laser therapy, complete termination of popper use, and wound disinfection and gauze application (14.3, 14.3, 7.1, 7.1, 7.1, and 7.1 percent, respectively).
"The data summarized here can help dermatologists identify, diagnose, and treat suspected cases of poppers dermatitis," the authors write.
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