DISEASE OUTCOME IN WORKERS WITH OCCUPATIONAL SKIN-DISEASE

Background: Occupational contact dermatitis (OCD) contributes signific antly to the burden of occupational disease, but there is little known about prognostic factors. Objective: The study was designed to determ ine the health status of workers with OCD at least 2 years after diagn osis and to identify risk factors related to prognosis. Methods: A que stionnaire study was conducted of workers with a diagnosis of work-rel ated skin disease. Results: Of the 201 workers with OCD, 76% noted imp rovement and 40% reported that they were currently free of any eruptio n. Approximately one third noted that their skin disease interfered wi th household, work, or recreational activities. The key prognostic fac tor appeared to be sex because women reported a better outcome. Diagno sis and atopic status tended to be related to some outcomes, whereas a ge was not. Conclusion: 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 stra tegies. A retrospective study has methodologic limitations and a prosp ective intervention trial should yield more information.