Contact dermatitis in Nigeria. (II). Hand dermatitis in men

In a series of 545 consecutive contact dermatitis clinic patients, 274 (50.3%) were men, 56 (20.4%) of whom had hand dermatitis alone, 40 (71.4%) being allergic. The common sensitizers were dichromate in cement, nickel on metal gates, colophony, epoxy resins and rubber chemicals. 48 (85.7%) of the hand cases came from occupational sources. Half of the patch-test-negative men worked in wet jobs. The hands of Nigerian men appear to be less tolerant to irritant wet jobs than those of women who had the opportunity of becoming hardened from childhood.