Clinical Pattern and Patch Test Profile of Hand Eczema in Hospital Employees in a Tertiary Care Hospital of North India

Introduction: Health care workers form an important occupational group with a high risk of hand eczema. All health care professionals are exposed to a variety of allergens and irritants which can cause hand dermatitis, resulting in significant morbidity.

Aims and objectives: To assess the clinical profile of hand eczema in hospital employees, to perform patch test in relevant cases and to find out the most common sensitizers in them.

Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional, hospital-based study in which the staff was screened for features of hand eczema and patch testing was done in the suspected cases of allergic contact dermatitis.

Results: Out of 340 employees screened, 46 employees (13.5%) suffered from hand eczema. The most common type was wear and tear dermatitis accounting for 17 (36.9%) cases, followed by discoid eczema, pompholyx, focal palmar peeling, finger-tip eczema, hyperkeratotic eczema, ring eczema, and unspecified types. Patch testing was positive in 15 (32.6%) cases. The most common allergen was paraphenylene diamine, followed by fragrance mix, nitrofurazone, mercaptobenzothiazole, potassium bichromate, black rubber mix, and thiuram mix. A statistically significant association (0.001) was found with an underlying history of atopy.

Conclusion: Hand eczema is a commonly encountered dermatological complaint in many hospital employees. Proper counseling, work, up, patch testing, and treatment can mitigate the symptoms in such employees.