The data are important for planning preventive efforts in the future. The workers in the healthcare sector, kitchen workers and cleaners constitute almost half of all cases, and future preventive efforts should be directed at these occupations.

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.

The low median age, the high percentages of atopic dermatitis in apprentices and the fact that more apprentices than fully trained hairdressers had recognized occupational contact dermatitis underlines the importance of early prevention.

SummaryBackground. Occupational hand eczema and/or contact urticaria may have social consequences such as change of profession or not remaining in the workforce. Objectives. To identify factors associated with job change in a cohort of participants with recognised occupational hand eczema/contact urticaria Methods. A registry-based study including 2703 employees with recognised occupational hand eczema/contact urticaria in Denmark in 2010/2011. Four to five years later the participants received a follow-up questionnaire, comprising questions on current job situation (response rate 58.0%). Results. At follow-up, 51.3% of the participants were no longer in the same profession. 32.5% had changed profession and 18.8% were no longer in employment. Change of profession was associated with young age, positive patch test, low educational level and severity of hand eczema/contact urticaria. With regard to specific professions, cleaning personnel changed profession significantly more often than other workers [71.4% (OR = 2.26)], health care workers significantly less often than other workers [34.0% (OR = 0.36)]. Conclusion. Job change occurs frequently during the first years after recognition of occupational hand eczema/contact urticaria and more often among patients with positive patch test reactions, with severe hand eczema/contact urticaria. Whether job changes improve the prognosis of occupational hand eczema/contact urticaria remains to be established.Key words: change of profession; contact allergy; contact dermatitis; irritants; job change; occupational contact eczema; positive patch test.Occupational contact dermatitis is the most frequently recognized occupational disease in Denmark (1). It has a negative impact on quality of life (2-5), and may have social consequences such as change of profession or not remaining in the workforce (3-6). Occupational hand eczema and/or contact urticaria are, by definition, either caused or aggravated by exposures in the workplace, leading to irritant or allergic contact dermatitis and contact urticaria, respectively. Identification of the causative exposure, followed by intervention, is necessary for secondary prevention. Information on skin protection and personal protective equipment may sometimes improve the situation sufficiently, but, in other cases, reassignment to new tasks or change of profession may be the ultimate consequence of occupational contact dermatitis (4-10).The reasons for a change of profession because of occupational hand eczema and/or contact urticaria could be speculated to comprise discomfort in relation to job tasks, induction of flares when at work, a requirement to have presentable and delicate hands, and not being allowed