Hand eczema, a recurrent inflammatory disease, features erythema, papules, vesicles, scaling, fissures, itch, and pain, causing cosmetic defects, psychological distress and a significant economic burden. Although genetic and environmental factors have shown their role in its etiology and prognosis, domestic conditions like the use of cleansers and caring for children under 4 years old can be ignored. 

Its prevalence is more common in occupations demanding heavy wet work and frequent hand washing as of healthcare workers, chefs, and hairdressers.

Since Healthcare workers have a high risk of developing hand eczema, a study investigated the association between occupational hygiene and self-reported hand eczema among nurses and doctors in Guangzhou. It was a cross-sectional study that utilized a self-administrated questionnaire sent to 740 health care workers in two tertiary hospitals.

The observations of the study were as follows-

70.4% of the healthcare workers responded. 

The prevalence of self-reported hand eczema was 9.6% with 10.8% in nurses and 6.9% in doctors. 

Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed-

Higher prevalence in those who were excessively exposed to hair dye 

Individuals with a history of food allergy had a 3.013 fold greater risk of having hand eczema than those who did not. 

The odds of having hand eczema were 4.863 fold greater in those who hand-washed more than 50 times daily contrasting those who washed hands less than 10 times per day. 

Mild symptoms of hand eczema were reported during the investigation period.

Thus the authors concluded that Hand eczema is common among healthcare workers in Guangzhou, which can be prevented by educational programs. They also warranted incorporating recommendations for skincare into hand hygiene education for Chinese healthcare workers in the future.

Source: Huang D, Tang Z, Qiu X, Liu X, Guo Z, Yang B, Guo Q, Xiong H. Hand eczema among healthcare workers in Guangzhou City: a cross-sectional study, Annals of Translational Medicine,2020;8(24).