Ten-year incidence of contact dermatitis in a prospective cohort of healthcare workers in Trieste hospitals (North East of Italy) 2004-2013

Abstract

N/

Incidence of occupational contact dermatitis in healthcare workers: a systematic review

“…Larese et al 11 in Italy analysing only glove-related OCD in 2000-2009 found an incidence rate of 23.9 and 25.0 cases per 10 000 workers/year for ICD and ACD, respectively, and analysing all OCD in 2004-2013 an incidence rate of 45 cases for 10 000 workers/year. 12 OCD incidence was higher for nurses (61.4 cases per 10 000 workers/year) and lower for medical doctors (15.9 cases for 10 000 workers/year). 12 Other studies calculated the incidence of OCD using registers of occupational diseases, finding values ranging between 1.0 to 13.8 cases per 10 000 workers/year considering different countries and occupations, higher for dentists (11 cases per 10 000/ year) and dental technicians (13.8 cases per 10 000/year) with a declining trend in years considered.…”

“…12 OCD incidence was higher for nurses (61.4 cases per 10 000 workers/year) and lower for medical doctors (15.9 cases for 10 000 workers/year). 12 Other studies calculated the incidence of OCD using registers of occupational diseases, finding values ranging between 1.0 to 13.8 cases per 10 000 workers/year considering different countries and occupations, higher for dentists (11 cases per 10 000/ year) and dental technicians (13.8 cases per 10 000/year) with a declining trend in years considered. [13][14][15][16]…”

“…The literature is very limited on incidence data of OCD in the working population, and despite the important numbers of OCD in HCWs cohort studies such estimates are only available in six studies. [7][8][9][10][11][12] Cohort studies are the strongest observational design to evaluate the incidence of diseases as exposed workers are monitored in a prospective or retrospective manner and incidence data obtained are more precise compared to other methods (compensation data, patients' reports) in which reported cases are generally underestimated. [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] The registries (e.g.…”

“…22 Even if female sex can be considered a recognized risk factor for contact dermatitis, 23 we cannot confirm a significantly higher incidence rate in female HCWs compared to male subjects according to the review we performed, as there was a lack of sex-specific incidence rates available from the included studies. Moreover, it should be noted that most of the HCW cohorts followed in the prospective and retrospective studies we examined have a composition of the sample including women with a percentage usually around 70% and up to 90% [10][11][12] : it could be difficult to appreciate a significantly increased incidence rate in females compared to males in samples predominantly composed of females. Looking at the three cohort studies considering notapprentices HCW (for whom the higher incidence rates compared to other groups can be explained with specific reasons, as discussed above) it can be said that higher incidence rates were found in working populations as nurses 7,12 , where a predominant female composition of the sample can be expected, compared to studies evaluating HCW overall 11 or other specific HCW groups, as medical doctors 12 , where female subjects represent the majority of the sample, but with a more balanced proportion compared to males.…”

“…Moreover, it should be noted that most of the HCW cohorts followed in the prospective and retrospective studies we examined have a composition of the sample including women with a percentage usually around 70% and up to 90% [10][11][12] : it could be difficult to appreciate a significantly increased incidence rate in females compared to males in samples predominantly composed of females. Looking at the three cohort studies considering notapprentices HCW (for whom the higher incidence rates compared to other groups can be explained with specific reasons, as discussed above) it can be said that higher incidence rates were found in working populations as nurses 7,12 , where a predominant female composition of the sample can be expected, compared to studies evaluating HCW overall 11 or other specific HCW groups, as medical doctors 12 , where female subjects represent the majority of the sample, but with a more balanced proportion compared to males. Nevertheless, it should be considered that the differences between occupational groups within HCW could also be related to specific factors typical of the working activity, such as the higher exposure to detergents and disinfectants in nurses compared to physicians.…”