[Hand eczema : disability and impact]

Hand eczema is a dermatological condition that may lead to physical and psychological disability, with psychological impact on social relationships, daily life activities and work.

Review of the literature on the impact of eczema of the hands and resulting disabilities.

Medline and Embase search from 1990 to 2013.

Hand eczema is a disabling disease because of its poor prognosis. It has an impact on quality of life, which has been assessed using generic scales (MOS-SF36 and EQ-5D) and generic dermatological scales (DLQI and the Skindex). There are no quality-of-life scales specific to hand eczema. This dermatosis may also have repercussions on work, resulting in absenteeism and at times requiring occupational retraining. Hand eczema has economic repercussions with several factors to be taken into account such as medical consultations, medical expenses, loss of productivity, work leave, changes in job position, compensation, and the need for occupational retraining.

Management of hand eczema by a dermatologist requires taking into account the importance of the physical and psychological disability and the consequences on social relations, activities of daily life, and work. In this context, measuring quality of life is important in assessing patients'perception of the disease and their experience.