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Hand eczema: causes, course, and prognosis I
Author(s) -
Veien Niels K.,
Hattel Thais,
Laurberg Grete
Publication year - 2008
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/j.1600-0536.2008.01345.x
Subject(s) - medicine , dermatology , etiology , irritant contact dermatitis , atopic dermatitis , hand eczema , contact dermatitis , allergic contact dermatitis , prospective cohort study , allergy , cohort , patch test , cohort study , atopy , surgery , immunology
Background: Hand eczema is a common dermatosis. The course is often protracted. The prognosis is not well described. Objective: To describe in detail a consecutive cohort of hand eczema patients with regard to aetiology and morphology as well as the dynamics of the hand eczema. Patients and Methods: This prospective study included 522 consecutive patients (175 men and 347 women with hand eczema) seen in 1 year in a private practice of dermatology. 425 (81%) of the patients were patch tested in relation to the current study. Most of the remainder had been previously patch tested. Results: 38% had mild dermatitis, 49% had dermatitis of moderate severity, and 11% had severe dermatitis. 23% had had dermatitis for more than 10 years. 33% had irritant contact dermatitis, 13% of the men and 20% of the women had allergic contact dermatitis, and 15% of the men and 16% of the women had atopic dermatitis. For 34% of the men and 29% of the women, the dermatitis was certainly or possibly occupational. There was no relationship to smoking. Conclusions: The majority of this cohort of hand eczema patients had long‐standing disease. Irritant contact dermatitis was the most common aetiological diagnosis.