Disease outcome in workers with occupational skin disease

Occupational contact dermatitis (OCD) contributes significantly to the burden of occupational disease, but there is little known about prognostic factors.

The study was designed to determine the health status of workers with OCD at least 2 years after diagnosis and to identify risk factors related to prognosis.

A questionnaire study was conducted of workers with a diagnosis of work-related skin disease.

Of the 201 workers with OCD, 76% noted improvement and 40% reported that they were currently free of any eruption. Approximately one third noted that their skin disease interfered with household, work, or recreational activities. The key prognostic factor appeared to be sex because women reported a better outcome. Diagnosis and atopic status tended to be related to some outcomes, whereas age was not.

Examination of other possible factors, some of which may be associated with sex, that might affect outcome should be undertaken to gain a better understanding of possible management strategies. A retrospective study has methodologic limitations and a prospective intervention trial should yield more information.