Here is an article from Yahoo...

http://news.yahoo.com/got-rash-ipad-...041845659.html

Evidently iPads have a nickel compound on their cases.

I saw this on GMA. It also can include laptops and cell phones. It mentions this in the article as well.

Hi, I haven't read all the threads yet but want to let you all know what started my dyshidrotic eczema. I bought a new MacBook air computer and within a few days of using it, I got my very first itchy blister on my hand. A year and a half and constant itching, scabbing, peeling hands and feet later I finally put 2 and 2 together and realized what caused it. Apparently there is nickel in the Apple MacBook's case or it is treated with nickel in some way. 3 days after no longer touching my computer and I started to clear up. Previous to this I don't believe I was allergic to nickel. I think the constant touching of the computer caused my acute sensitivity and now I am stuck with this allergy. I am now in the process of eliminating certain things from my diet to keep it from flaring up but I am probably 99% better. I've noticed wine and tomato sauces will cause my hands and feet to itch. I try not to itch it, for it makes it worse! I keep eucerin cream on my hands and feet morning and night. When my skin gets dry it will itch. I also had such pain in my joints, feet especially that I went to an orthopedist. He diagnosed some bs plantar fasciitis or some such but again, once I got rid of my damn Apple computer my joints stopped hurting. I had other "female" issues too that are starting to get better since. If I can help just one person figure out the cause of their eczema it's totally worth it! This past year and a half has been crazy!

Yes! I can really resonate with what you all have said here.

I have always had a skin reaction to nickel on my jean buttons or the like and have since learned that it often is triggered with ear piercing. Anyway, it was only postpartum that I began to experience it with food. I was trying to eat healthier (hello, spinach, oats, beans & dark chocolate!) and got a mystery rash that was super itchy and mysterious. I visited many dermatologists who kept saying: we don't know but try this cream. Finally, one said: your allergist should have done a patch test. If you have trouble with nickel you probably have a nickel allergy. But he never said anything about changig diet. Topical steroids and eliminating gluten finally cleared it up and also cleared up my long-standing digestive issues related to gluten. I then began to see trouble with dairy products as well.

Over the past three years, I've been very watchful with my diet, because it seems that almost anything will set things off. For some time I suspected histamine intolerance, because it seems that a wide range of foods would set it off. Perhaps that is related since a longstanding allergy to nickel could fill up that histamine bucket awfully quickly. But this past week, I finally connected it all back to nickel. The horrible itchy rash returned, because I reintroduced tomatoes to my diet. And all at once. Every day for about a week. In a chili that also had beans, onions, and green pepper. And was cooked and reheated in a stainless pan. And then the mystery rash showed up and I thought: AHA!

So I agree with someone who said above that eliminating foods probably has more to do with the overall histamine load. You might be able to have nickel containing foods every once in a while in small portions. But perhaps not in the middle of spring allergy season when your body is already fighting allergens. Anyway, here's what I've found triggering:

My macbook air. I've since learned it contains nickel. If I spend several hours typing I will get burning fingers. No rash, but definite symptoms. I've since switched to an attached plastic keyboard which is much better.

My treadmill arms. I think this is a recent discovery. I hope it doesn't make treadmill workouts a trigger.

Foods: Stainless steel pans are supposed to be okay unless you are cooking citris foods like tomato or lemon or whatever. Spinach and cured meats, chocolate, whole wheat, oats, lentils and shellfish seem to be big problems for me. For a long time I've thought I have a shellfish allergy, but blood tests always come up negative.

I've also read that eating iron and vitamin c with nickel containing foods is good - the iron and vitamin c will bind to the nickel and help your body eliminate it.

Anyway, I'm now stuck with my itchy rash for a few weeks and hoping it will clear up if I can weed out the nickel for awhile and I can go back to my regular diet. Good luck, everyone! Try not to obsess!

Welcome trickywood.

I have a problem with any pizza with soybean oil/protein, vegetable protein. The tomato sauce does not seem to be enough to make a difference for me. It is possible some of the newer artificial cheeses cause problems as well.

Also buns/bread with soybean oil in them. Hydrogenated oils of any kind are bad. Gluten does not seem to be an issue for me. I have no problem with pasta just tomato based sauces (many have soybean oil too).

Remove or cover any nickel coated items in your house. Masking tape works well. The more you touch nickel the worse the allergy gets. Also car exhaust has bothered me since I was a child - yup - high in nickel.

I've recently been having a lot of health issues. In November and again in February I was hospitalized for obstipation. Since November, I am weak, have a constant headache that nothing can touch, always feel exhausted, and even though I am now on Linzess, Metamucil and stool softeners, I am starting to bind up again. I was recently diagnosed with a "severe systemic nickel allergy" which, after much research, could easily explain all of my symptoms. I have now started a low-nickel diet and am hoping for some systemic relief.

My question is this: has anyone experienced their nickel allergy internally without any external manifestations? I know that I often have issues with previously unexplained rashes, but as I'm currently not having any external symptoms does that mean I I'm probably not currently having internal symptoms either? I am going to continue with the diet but am being told it could be a month before I see any results and I was hoping that maybe someone had some encouraging advice.

Thank you!

Hi just_kayte

Welcome to NeuroTalk and I hope that other members can help with your nickel allergy.

Out of curiosity, would you like to share how it was diagnosed?

My day job includes non-clinical immunology and nickel allergy is not something that I have come across before.

All the best.

@ kiwi33 - I was actually diagnosed kind of by accident... I have been seeing a gastro who diagnosed me with IBS-C and has referred me to a gastro who specializes in IBS. I haven't seen him yet, so I don't know what approach he is going to take.
On an unrelated health issue, I've fought unexplained rashes all of my life and my dermatologist recently upgraded my diagnosis to eczema and suggested I go through a more intensive allergy testing (I'd been through the scratch testing in the past) that involved taping 147 patches to my back for 48 hours and me keeping my back dry for a week (what fun!). The dermatologist read the results and said that I was HIGHLY allergic to nickel (he called it a systemic allergy, not just a dermatological allergy although I don't know how he made the distinction). He also found I have a reaction to cobalt and bacitracin which are easier to avoid. He gave me a diet plan for a reduced nickel intake and briefly explained some of the other effects nickel can have. I started doing my own research and a nickel allergy explains all of my recent issues so I've started on this lovely low nickel diet and greatly in creased my water intake (bottled)... however, I will probably not see any kind of results from the diet for about a month.
I am curious if the gastro will suggest any kind of food allergy testing and what he has to say, but I don't see him for another two weeks. I will update on my results and what the gastro suggests as well. I'm hoping to see an improvement from my diet by then as well.

Thanks for that just_kayte.

I hope that the IBS-specialist gastro is helpful.