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Medical consultations in relation to severity of hand eczema in the general population
Author(s) -
Hald M.,
Berg N.D.,
Elberling J.,
Johansen J.D.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
british journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.304
H-Index - 179
eISSN - 1365-2133
pISSN - 0007-0963
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2133.2007.08431.x
Subject(s) - medicine , hand eczema , population , relation (database) , medline , dermatology , pediatrics , environmental health , allergy , immunology , contact dermatitis , computer science , biology , data mining , biochemistry
Summary Background Hand eczema is a common disease with a wide severity spectrum. Little information exists concerning the association between the severity of hand eczema and medical consultations. Objectives To describe the self‐rated severity of hand eczema in a general population and the relationship to seeking medical attention. Methods A questionnaire on self‐reported hypersensitivity including two questions on hand eczema was sent to a random sample of 6000 individuals, aged 18–69 years, living in Copenhagen, Denmark. A total of 4242 individuals (71%) answered the questionnaire. All individuals who reported hand eczema ( n = 752) within the previous 12 months received a more detailed questionnaire focused on hand eczema and a previously validated photographic guide with four groups of severity ranging from almost clear to very severe. Results Five hundred and sixty‐four individuals (75%) returned the second questionnaire. The 1‐year period prevalence of hand eczema was estimated to be 14% in the population. Twenty‐three per cent rated their hand eczema as moderate to very severe. In total, 67% had consulted their general practitioner and 44% had consulted a dermatologist because of hand eczema. Multivariate analysis showed a positive association ( P < 0·05) between severity of hand eczema and medical consultations. Of those individuals ( n = 102) who had not consulted a dermatologist 26% had experienced moderate to very severe hand eczema within the previous 12 months. Conclusions A considerable proportion of individuals with moderate to very severe hand eczema in the general population miss out on the potential benefit of a dermatological examination, patch testing and a thoroughgoing exploration of environmental factors.