Medical consultations in relation to severity of hand eczema in the general population

Background Hand eczema is a common disease with a wide severity spectrum. Little information exists concerning the association between the severity of hand eczema and medical consultations. Objectives To describe the self-rated severity of hand eczema in a general population and the relationship to seeking medical attention. Methods A questionnaire on self-reported hypersensitivity including two questions on hand eczema was sent to a random sample of 6000 individuals, aged 18-69 years, living in Copenhagen, Denmark. A total of 4242 individuals (71%) answered the questionnaire. All individuals who reported hand eczema (n = 752) within the previous 12 months received a more detailed questionnaire focused on hand eczema and a previously validated photographic guide with four groups of severity ranging from almost clear to very severe. Results Five hundred and sixty-four individuals (75%) returned the second questionnaire. The 1-year period prevalence of hand eczema was estimated to be 14% in the population. Twenty-three per cent rated their hand eczema as moderate to very severe. In total, 67% had consulted their general practitioner and 44% had consulted a dermatologist because of hand eczema. Multivariate analysis showed a positive association (P < 0.05) between severity of hand eczema and medical consultations. Of those individuals (n = 102) who had not consulted a dermatologist 26% had experienced moderate to very severe hand eczema within the previous 12 months. Conclusions A considerable proportion of individuals with moderate to very severe hand eczema in the general population miss out on the potential benefit of a dermatological examination, patch testing and a thoroughgoing exploration of environmental factors.