ESSCA-DC: European surveillance system on contact allergies - data centre

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 02.0179

Key words (English)

Environmental Protection; Life Sciences; Medicine; Health; Safety

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: QLK4-CT-2001-00343

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 5. Frame Research Programme - 1.1.4 Environment and health

Short description (English)

See abstract

Further information (English)

Full name of research-institution/enterprise:
Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois CHUV
Service de dermatologie

Abstract (English)

Contact allergy is frequent and has a great socio-economic impact. With the aim of providing scientific information necessary for primary prevention, the European Surveillance System on Contact Allergies (ESSCA; 30 partners from 13 countries) was founded. All partners record data pertaining to patients tested for contact allergy, either on paper or in PCs. Since there would be considerable added value in sharing these data, both a computer program for local use and a coordinating data centre will be implemented. Collected data is quality checked, transformed (in view of heterogeneous EDP systems) and analysed in the centre.

ESSCA-DC intends to co-operatively evaluate pooled European data to meet the following objectives yet unmet: early recognition of:
i) sentinel events concerning emerging contact allergens;
ii) novel exposure contexts for known allergens, with the ultimate aim of improved consumer and workplace safety.

The ESSCA data centre (ESSCA-DC) will strengthen co-operation between ESSCA allergy units structurally, providing EDP tools for recording and exchange of data. Promotion of GCP ('good clinical practice') in this area is both a prerequisite, and an objective of ESSCA-DC. The joint analysis of standardised pooled European data is the main task of ESSCA-DC. It will close an 'information gap' crucial for the prevention, of contact allergy, e.g., early recognition of emerging contact allergens and detection of novel exposure contexts for known allergens in consumer and work-related products (post-marketing surveillance). All national and EC institutions involved in the respective areas of public and workplace health will be duly informed. The ultimate goal of all activities is improved consumer and workplace safety.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 02.0179