HRQoL was negatively affected in individuals with hand eczema irrespective of age. With the EQ-5D instrument it is also possible to detect certain gender differences. The EQ-5D index for hand eczema was of the same size as for psoriasis and asthma, all common diseases with an impact on public health. It is of importance to acknowledge the influence of hand eczema on daily life, in order to give the patients good care.
No clear association was found between 1-year prevalence of hand eczema and smoking. Heavy smoking, more than 10 cigarettes per day, may give a slightly increased risk of hand eczema. Further studies with information on the amount of tobacco consumption and on possible confounders are needed to evaluate smoking as a risk factor for hand eczema.
Hand eczema was more common in individuals who reported stress, obesity and smoking. In individuals who reported high physical exercise levels hand eczema was less common. As there appears to be an association between life-style factors and hand eczema it is important to consider life-style factors in clinical practice.
Background: Previous studies of the relationship between job strain and blood or saliva cortisol levels have been small and based on selected occupational groups. Our aim was to examine the association between job strain and saliva cortisol levels in a population-based study in which a number of potential confounders could be adjusted for.
High water exposure over the entire day was found to be considerably more frequent than exposure at work. Thus, a significant proportion of water exposure seems to occur outside work. This should be considered in prevention of hand eczema and when counselling patients with hand eczema in clinical practice.
An association between heavy smoking and hand eczema was confirmed. It is important to consider the level of exposure, as a dose-response relation was revealed, and to be aware of confounding factors.
The aim of this study was to validate questions regarding skin exposure using observation. The study group consisted of 40 individuals in 5 different occupations: nurse in an intensive care unit, car mechanic, hairdresser, kitchen worker, and office worker. The participants completed a questionnaire before the start of a working day. The questionnaire covered total skin exposure times to water, foodstuffs, chemicals, and occlusive gloves and also covered the frequency of hand-washing during a working day. Observers subsequently used a hand-held computer to register the time and the frequency of each exposure. A strong correlation between self-reports and observations was found for questions regarding exposure times to water, foodstuffs, and occlusive gloves and also a moderate correlation for questions regarding frequency of hand-washing. The present observation method was insufficient for estimating total exposure times to chemicals as the true exposure time is influenced by, e.g. the use of contaminated protective gloves and the efficacy with which the chemicals were removed. The inter-observer reliability showed a very strong correlation. We consider the questions regarding skin exposure to water, foodstuffs, protective gloves, and hand-washing to be useful for future studies. The observation method seems to be reliable, useful, and easy to apply.
Employees who were highly exposed to airborne particles in the Stockholm underground tended to have elevated levels of risk markers for CVD relative to employees with low exposure. However, the differences observed cannot definitely be linked to particle exposure as such.
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