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Systemic therapy and the use of complementary and alternative medicine in patients with recognized occupational hand eczema in Denmark: A cross‐sectional questionnaire‐based study
Author(s) -
Barati Sedeh Farnam,
Ebbehøj Niels E.,
Agner Tove,
Carøe Tanja K.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
contact dermatitis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.524
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1600-0536
pISSN - 0105-1873
DOI - 10.1111/cod.13477
Subject(s) - medicine , hand eczema , cross sectional study , population , atopic dermatitis , systemic therapy , physical therapy , disease , allergy , dermatology , contact dermatitis , environmental health , immunology , pathology , cancer , breast cancer
Abstract Background Concerns have been raised that a chronic course of hand eczema (HE) could be fostered by a lack of efficient treatment at an early stage. Objectives First, to assess the prevalence of systemic treatment in patients with chronic occupational HE (OHE) and relate this to demographic data, HE severity, and atopic dermatitis (AD). Second, to explore the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the same population. Methods Baseline data were obtained from a registry‐based study including patients with recognized OHE in a 2‐year period in Denmark, comprising a total of 2703 workers. A follow‐up questionnaire after 4 to 5 years included questions on disease severity and treatments. Results A total of 1565 participants responded to the questionnaire, and of these 1203 had ongoing HE at follow‐up and were included in the study. In total, 10.0% had received systemic therapy, whereas this share was 13.3% in those with self‐reported moderate‐to‐severe HE. Age >35 years, previous or current AD, and severe eczema were factors related to use of systemic treatment. Use of CAM was reported by 6.2% of the study population. Conclusions We suggest that chronicity of HE may be perpetuated by the lack of efficient treatment.