Smoking Habit and Correlation with Hand Eczema in Healthcare Workers in the Time of COVID-19

Background: Hand eczema, in time of COVID-19, is one of the most frequently diagnosed skin disorders in nurses. In this study, we sought to investigate whether smoking could be an additional risk factor for hand eczema in nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Using a questionnaire about smoking details and hand eczema, we conducted a study among nurses involved in the frontline management of COVID-19 patients. A total of 1,000 questionnaires were sent out. The questionnaires were anonymous and based on self-reported answers, with no clinical examination or medical data evaluation. All nurses enrolled in the study were women, working in shifts for the last three months since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Two-hundred forty-seven questionnaires were accepted for the study, after eliminating non-responders and nurses without hand eczema. The majority of nurses denied smoking (87.85%) in the past and at the moment of the study. Statistics related to years of smoking and occurrence of hand eczema showed no increase in the number of cases in correlation with the number of years of smoking. Similarly, a random distribution of cases of hand eczema was observed when compared to the number of cigarettes per day. Conclusion: Our data does not support the hypothesis that smoking is an independent risk factor for the development of occupational hand eczema during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Utility of a Questionnaire Proposal as an Analytic Diagnostic Tool in Healthcare Providers Occupational Hand Eczema

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of self-reported work-related and occupational hand eczema, as well as associated risk factors in hospitals and out-patient clinics in Romania. A standardized questionnaire was addressed to health professionals from different medical fields. Out of 245 healthcare providers who completed the survey, 235 were women (95.9%), and 243 were working more than 8 hours/day in hospitals (99.18%). Hand eczema was self-reported and documented in almost one third of the nurses (33.49%), the most frequently involved trigger factor being powdered latex gloves. A total of 207 (84.48%) individuals denied any present or past allergic diseases. Only one nurse declared that severe hand eczema was the cause of losing her job at the hospital. Exposure assessment is essential for the diagnosis of work-related or occupational skin diseases.