Risk factors of hand eczema: A population‐based study among 900 subjects

Abstract

Background Many risk factors such as atopic dermatitis (AD) have shown to associate with hand eczema (HE). However, studies concerning other atopic diseases, parental or longitudinal risk factors of HE are scarce. Objectives To examine the association between HE and atopic diseases, parental factors, environmental factors (keeping animals, exposure to moulds) and lifestyle factors (obesity, tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and physical activity) at population level. Methods Subjects belonging to the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 Study (NFBC1966) (n = 6830) answered a comprehensive health questionnaire. The data was completed with parental information. Results HE was reported in 900 (13.3%) individuals. All atopic diseases, parental allergy, female gender and obesity increased the risk of HE whereas physical activity decreased the risk of HE. A statistically significant association was not found between HE and tobacco smoking or alcohol consumption. Conclusions All atopic diseases, not only AD, seem to have influence on the presence of HE. In addition, parental and environmental factors associated with HE.

Gender differences in allergic contact dermatitis to common allergens

“…15 Furthermore, females demonstrated notable susceptibility to cosmetic allergens, particularly preservatives and fragrances, and exhibited a higher likelihood of developing contact dermatitis on their hands, a finding consistent with a prior European study. 16 The observed higher prevalence of women in homemaking or housekeeping roles and those exposed to wet-work occupations could contribute to our observations.…”

Anxiety and depression in patients with hand eczema: A population‐based study among 853 middle‐aged subjects

“…In the 46‐year follow‐up survey, the study subjects answered an extensive questionnaire including questions about health, lifestyle as well as environmental and socioeconomic factors. HE was determined by asking ‘Do you have or have you ever had hand eczema diagnosed by a doctor or hand eczema treated by a doctor?’ 2 …”

“…Smoking, 23 alcohol consumption, 24 body mass index (BMI), 25 physical activity 26 and socioeconomic status (SES) 27 are known to be associated with psychiatric symptoms and were consequently noted as possible confounding factors. The definitions of confounding factors are described in our previous study 2 with the exception of weight, which was categorized by BMI (kg/m 2 ) and classified in accordance with the Word Health Organization (WHO) guideline into obesity (>30 kg/m 2 ) and overweight (25.0 to <30 kg/m 2 ) 28 . Normal weight (18.5 to <25 kg/m 2 ) and underweight (<18.5 kg/m 2 ) were combined into one subgroup (<25 kg/m 2 ).…”

“…HE was determined by asking 'Do you have or have you ever had hand eczema diagnosed by a doctor or hand eczema treated by a doctor?' 2 Depression and anxiety symptoms were screened by using Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25), which was included in the questionnaire. 18,19 HSCL-25 consists of 13 items concerning depression and 10 items concerning anxiety symptoms in the past week.…”

“…Hand eczema (HE) is a prevalent inflammatory disorder with a lifetime prevalence of 13.3%–15% in the general population 1–3 . Women are more commonly affected by HE compared with men 3 .…”