The Prevalence and Determinants of Hand and Face Dermatitis during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Population-Based Survey

Abstract

Background. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, prevention is the key to limiting the spread of this disease. The frequent handwashing and use of sanitizers resulted in notable skin changes among some individuals. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and determinants of the new onset of dermatitis during the COVID-19 pandemic in a university population from Saudi Arabia. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered online questionnaire by sending an invitation link to students and employees of Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University in June 2020. A chi-squared test was used to note differences regarding hand and face dermatitis. Results. Of the total 2356 participants, 34.8% reported skin changes or symptoms over hands, and 15.3% reported skin changes on their face during this pandemic. 88.7% of the participants reported a change in handwashing habits during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 62.2% of participants were not using any hand sanitizers before COVID-19 but began using them during the pandemic. There were significantly higher percentage of skin conditions in females (on hands (ScH): 42.6% and face (ScF):19.2%), individuals working in environments requiring frequent handwashing (ScH: 40.3% vs. ScF: 17.2%), those working in facilities where they have to interact with people during the pandemic (ScH: 41.1% vs. ScF: 18.7%), those encountering COVID-19 patients (ScH: 48.6% vs. ScF: 24.8%), those exposed to chemicals (ScH: 48.6% vs. ScF: 24.8%), and healthcare workers (ScH: 51.3% vs. ScF: 24.3%). Conclusion. It was found that during the pandemic, skin changes were common among the general population as well as among healthcare workers. The frequency of handwashing and the use of alcohol-based sanitizers were contributing factors for dermatitis. Although hygiene is an extremely important preventive measure in this pandemic, maintaining skin integrity is also vital. Appropriate knowledge and good practice can prevent dermatitis in this pandemic, with regular hydration of the skin being a key factor.

Skin adverse events related to personal protective equipment: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…The media prevalence of skin side events related to mask use was 57.17% after conducting a random effect meta-analysis weighted by the study sample size, Figure S2. Eleven studies Accepted Article evaluated the skin effects related to mask wearing [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] . Four studies analyzed the overall prevalence of skin side events related to mask wearing [21][22][23][24] , Table 2.…”

“…Longer periods of mask wearing were a risk factor for skin adverse events 21,32 , while controversial results were found regarding the type of mask. Most reports observed that wearing a surgical mask was a risk factor for developing skin side events compared to other kind of mask 21,23,24 . Nevertheless, Matusiak et al showed that surgical mask was a protective factor for sweating and itch 32 .…”

“…The media prevalence of skin side events related to gloves and hand washing was 49.16% after conducting a random effect meta-analysis weighted by the study sample size, Figure S5. Skin effects related to gloves use and hand washing were evaluated in nine studies 24,30,[33][34][35][36][37][38][39] , Table 4.…”

“…Three studies evaluated the general prevalence of skin adverse events associated with gloves use and hand hygiene in 3,713 participants (3,283 non-HCWs and 430 HCWs) 24,33,34 . 1,475 participants reported skin side events.…”

“…One report also found that hand skin manifestations increased by 8.4% compared to the pre-pandemic period 34 . Most common adverse event were dryness, erythema, itching and fissures 24,33,34 . Female sex 34 , working in unit with COVID-19 patients 34 , hand washing more than 10 times/day 24 , alcohol concentration >60% 24 and using gloves 24 were related to a higher rate of skin adverse event 34 .…”