Primula contact dermatitis: an easily overlooked diagnosis.

Contact dermatitis to Primula obconica is not uncommon in the United States, yet it is scarcely mentioned in current North American dermatologic textbooks and literature. Affecting mainly women, primula contact dermatitis is often misdiagnosed since its nondescript pattern suggests an endogenous dermatitis. The author summarizes his experience with nine patients encountered in his practice during two years. Patch testing is important since a positive patch test reaction confirms the diagnosis and helps to convince the patient to discard the offending plant(s). A simple technique of patch testing with the primula leaf is described.