Patch testing for hand dermatitis - 20 Years experience

Hand dermatitis is the most frequently recognized occupational skin disease. Comprehensive understanding of the epidemiology of hand dermatitis is crucial to be able to make a correct diagnosis or give appropriate recommendations for its management. From 1983 to 2002, among those referred to Contact Clinic at National Taiwan University Hospital, a total of 2568 patients were patch-tested. We recruited 716 cases of hand dermatitis with relevant contact history. After interview following a standardized questionnaire, patch testing with the European standard series and suspected allergens was administered. Among the 716 patients with hand dermatitis, the peak age group of male was 26-30 years of age and that of female was 21-25 years of age. Forty-eight percent (60.1% in men and 42.6% in women) of hand dermatitis was related to occupation. Builder, office workers, housewife, hairdresser and doctor/nurse/healthcare professionals were the most common types of occupation. Allergic contact dermatitis accounted for 38.2% in males and 33.5% in females. Overall, including occupational and non-occupational hand dermatitis, potassium dichromate and nickel sulphate were the first-rank allergens in male and female patients, respectively.