Abstract
BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that lifestyle factors such as smoking, overweight and stress may influence the prevalence and severity of hand eczema.
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between lifestyle factors and hand eczema severity in a cohort of patients with work-related hand eczema.
METHODS: Individuals with work-related hand eczema notified in the period between June 2012 and November 2013 were included in this questionnaire-based cross-sectional study. Participants responded to a questionnaire including questions on lifestyle factors, as well as a photographic guide for assessment of severity of hand eczema and questions on quality of life.
RESULTS: A total of 773 individuals (546 women and 227 men) responded to the questionnaire and were included in the study. A strong association was found between tobacco smoking and hand eczema severity (p = 0.003), whereas no significant association was found for body weight and stress. Other factors linked to severe eczema were male sex and older age (p = 0.04 and p = 0.01, respectively), and wet work (p = 0.08).
CONCLUSION: The data from the present study strongly support an association between smoking and hand eczema severity. However, owing to the cross-sectional design of the study, no conclusion on causation can be drawn.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Book series | Contact Dermatitis |
| Volume | 76 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Pages (from-to) | 138-145 |
| ISSN | 1396-6669 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Mar 2017 |
Keywords
- Adult
- Comorbidity
- Cross-Sectional Studies
- Eczema/epidemiology
- Female
- Hand Dermatoses/epidemiology
- Humans
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Prevalence
- Quality of Life
- Risk Factors
- Severity of Illness Index
- Smoking/epidemiology
- Surveys and Questionnaires
