Management of chronic hand eczema

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Clinical Medicine

Background:

• Hand eczema (HE) is a common, chronic skin condition with significant personal and societal costs.
• Severe chronic HE presents a poor prognosis and challenges in patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the epidemiology, burden, classification, diagnosis, and treatment of severe chronic hand eczema.
• To highlight the need for evidence-based management strategies and further research.

Main Methods:

• Expert workshop discussion on severe chronic hand eczema management.
• Focus on evidence-based approaches, including randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Main Results:

• Current management of severe chronic HE is often insufficient.
• Existing topical and systemic treatments may not be adequately utilized or effective.

Conclusions:

• There is a critical need for more high-quality RCTs for severe chronic HE.
• Future research should focus on clearly diagnosed subtypes and severity levels of HE to guide treatment development.