Prevalence of eczema and other dermatoses of the hands and forearms in construction workers in the Netherlands

Abstract

Summary An examination of the hands and forearms of about 1700 construction workers revealed that 133 of them (7.8%) had a form of eczema, whereas psoriasis was observed in twenty‐two (1.3%). Irritant dermatitis was the major diagnostic category and was found in sixty‐seven workers (4%); allergic contact eczema was found in 1.4%. The prevalence of eczema/dermatitis in different job categories varied between 5.9% in technicians and 12.6% in bricklayers and plasterers. A history of atopy was more prevalent in persons with irritant dermatitis (24%) than in those with other forms of eczema (15%) and the controls f 11%). Patch testing was performed with dichromate, cobalt, thiruammix and cpoxy resin in persons with eczema and in a control group of 307 workers without eczema. Positive patch tests were found in 15% of the workers with eczema and 5.5% of those in the control group. In carpenters, there was very little difference between the proportion of positive patch tests in workers with eczema (6.1%) and that in controls (4.3%), In bricklayers and plasterers, these percentages were 27.7% and 7.6%, respectively. In carpenters, an association between eczema and a history of frequent exposure to wood impregnants and solvents was found.

Dermatitis in small‐scale metal industries

“…Only 2 cases (0.26%) of psoriasis were seen, which is less than the prevalence of 1.3 % found in similar investigations elsewhere (10). Allowing for the fact that only the hands and arms (elbows) were examined, this finding is supported by circumstantial evidence that psoriasis has a much lower prevalence (0.3%) in the mongoloid race (11).…”

Contact dermatitis in the construction industry: the role of filaggrin loss-of-function mutations

“…This is the first study focusing on doctor-diagnosed CD among construction workers in the Netherlands in more than 25 years. 44 Recently, we reported high prevalences of selfreported skin symptoms 3 and self-reported CD. 4 However, the current study was not confined to self-reported data.…”

Nordic Occupational Skin Questionnaire (NOSQ‐2002): a new tool for surveying occupational skin diseases and exposure

“…2 methods have been used to diagnose hand eczema in questionnaire studies: a self‐report (self‐diagnosis) of hand dermatoses or eczema ( ‘Have you had…?’ ) or a diagnosis based on a symptom list (symptom‐based diagnosis). In the validations, clinical hand eczema has been diagnosed in 54–94% of the respondents reporting hand eczema/dermatitis in questionnaire studies (‘Have you had…?’/‘Do you have…?’) (1, 2, 21, 26, 27, 30, 31).…”