Chronic Hand Eczema

Abstract

Chronic hand eczema (CHE) is a complex, challenging, and frequently multifactorial skin disease of the hands. It is very common in the general population, especially in certain professions. When hand eczema (HE) persists for longer than 3 months or has a minimum of two relapses per year after initial manifestation with complete clearance, it is considered chronic. In this case, health-related quality of life and the patient’s working life are often impaired. CHE can be considered as an umbrella term because it covers different clinical pictures and etiologies. To date, there is no definite and unique HE classification. Treatment starts with identifying the individual HE etiology paralleled by symptomatic therapy (local and/or systemic and/or ultraviolet phototherapy). Sustainable management of HE requires the identification and avoidance of its triggering factors, from the professional and private environment. This includes ruling out allergic contact dermatitis if any HE persists for more than 3 months despite adequate therapy. Randomized controlled trials investigating the efficacy in HE are lacking for several treatment modalities. Patient education measures of skin protection and prevention complete the multimodal treatment.