H Ghaninezhad Ahary , M Barzegari , P Babamkhani , R Pirjani ,
Volume 56, Issue 5 (6 1998)
Abstract
Introduction: Hand eczema is one of the most common causes of disabiliting dermatoses. Objective: Our purpose was to determine the frequency of hand eczema in out patients seen in Razi hospital (university medical center). Design: Of 3754 patients with skin problems, 206 were investigated for hand eczema and the study was carried out with regard to age, sex, occupation, exposure to chemical and physical irritants and predispositional factors. Results: The prevalence of hand eczema was 5.48%. The mean age was 30.8 years. The female: male ratio was 1.6. The highest number of patients were in the occupational group with exposure to reegents and water (we couldn't do patch test because it was not available). The most common complaint was itching (85.5%) and the fingers were the predominant affected sites. Conclusion: The major cause of hand eczema in contact dermatitis (Irritant and Allergic) and patch testing in necessary to determine the allergic agent, that can be helpful in allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) but are sometimes discouraged because of high false-positive rate and also in many instances, simultaneous exposure to irritant factors plays an essential role in the development of ACD.
