[Chronic hand eczema: epidemiology and therapeutic evidence]

Hand eczema (HE) is one of the most frequent skin diseases, although it is not a homogenous entity. The degree of severity can range from mild manifestations to severe chronic cases which are refractory to therapy and tend to disable patients. Chronic HE is a high social and economic impact and often leads to a loss in quality of life. Although there are many options, the therapy of chronic HE is difficult and often unsuccessful. Randomized controlled clinical trials demonstrating the efficacy of therapeutic options, including established ones, are lacking.