Contact dermatitis in healthcare workers: epidemic at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic?

ABSTRACT

Healthcare workers (HCWs) are generally exposed to a considerable amount of wet work - including a high frequency of hand washing and long wearing periods of protective gloves with accompanying heat congestion and sweating by occlusion - and thus a high risk of developing hand eczema (HE), mainly caused by irritant contact dermatitis. Intensified hand hygiene measures have been implemented for containing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic which emerged in the beginning of 2020 and has led to increased skin strain in the general population and particularly in HCWs who face a double burden due to elevated hygiene measures both in private life and at work. Recent studies verify that prevalence of occupational dermatoses in HCWs has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recommendations for preventing occupational HE include the use of adequate skin cleansing substances and skin care products, which can be taught within health education programs. It was previously shown that health education interventions are effective in the prevention of occupational dermatoses and especially HE. The unprecedentedly high incidence of contact dermatitis in HCWs associated with COVID-19-associated hygiene measures entails the need for tailored HE prevention strategies to preserve the working ability of HCWs who are urgently needed in tackling the pandemic and its consequences. Current findings and future perspectives will be discussed in this speech.