The importance of occupational skin diseases in the United States

Abstract

Occupational skin diseases and disorders (OSDs) are the most commonly reported non-trauma-related (acute or cumulative) category of occupational illnesses in the United States. This factor, along with their potential chronicity, their effect on an individual's vocational and avocational activities, and the fact that they are preventable, point out the public health importance of OSDs. It can be difficult to obtain accurate epidemiological data for OSDs in the US, and all sources have their limitations. OSD cases that result in days away from work are important categories to study, since days away from work may be used as an indicator of the severity of a case. Descriptive epidemiology may be used to provide further information on these "more severe" cases, to determine, for example, high-risk industries, occupations, and exposures, and then to use this information to target the high-risk, "more severe" cases for prevention strategies. The goal of the US Public Health Service for the year 2010, as established in its "Healthy People 2010: National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives", is to reduce national OSDs to an incidence of no more than 46 per 100,000 full-time workers. Both irritant and allergic contact dermatitis are considered to be priority research areas as outlined in the National Occupational Research Agenda introduced in 1996 by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Increased knowledge and awareness of occupational skin diseases will assist in the achievement of the national public health goals.

Individual Susceptibility to Occupational Contact Dermatitis

“…Occupational contact dermatitis (OCD) is one of the most common work-related illnesses in many developed countries, accounting for up to one third of all occupational diseases [1][2][3][4][5] . Data on the prevalence of OCD vary from country to country, mainly due to lack of standardised case definitions, diagnostic methods and registration systems 6,7) .…”

“…Data on the prevalence of OCD vary from country to country, mainly due to lack of standardised case definitions, diagnostic methods and registration systems 6,7) . A high prevalence has been documented in specific occupational groups, such as nurses, hairdressers, food processing workers and metal workers [1][2][3][4][5] .…”

“…In the work place, ICD is the more prevalent form accounting for 50-80% of contact dermatitis (CD) 2,5,8,9) although in some sectors such as the construction industry, ACD prevails 10) . ICD is a cutaneous inflammation resulting from a direct cytotoxic effect of a chemical or physical agent without the production of specific antibodies.…”

Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Nordic Occupational Skin Questionnaire (NOSQ-2002) to German

“…In many industrialised countries occupational skin diseases are among the most prevalent work-related diseases [1][2][3][4][5]. For instance, in Germany, "severe or recurrent skin diseases which have forced the person to discontinue all activities that caused or could cause the development, worsening or recurrence of the disease" (occupational disease No.…”

Dermatosis profesionales en cuidadores de ancianos

“…La forma de presentación más frecuente, y por tanto uno de los principales problemas valorados en dermatología ocupacional, es el eczema de manos. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 Es difícil calcular la incidencia de las dermatosis profesionales. En Europa se estima que la incidencia media oscila entre 0,5-1,9 casos por 1000 trabajadores por año, pero la comparación entre países es compleja y suelen ser cifras infraestimadas, debido a que los registros nacionales que proporcionan los datos se basan en la notificación de casos, que por lo general se realiza cuando se declara la baja o la incapacidad.…”