Work-related skin disease is common and usually presents as hand eczema. From the Occupational
Injury Information System in Sweden, as well as from registers of industrial injuries in other
countries, it is evident that females report skin disease more often than males. Epidemiological
studies of hand eczema also show that women are more often affected than men, in particular
young women. The most common type of hand eczema is irritant contact dermatitis, which is
often caused by wet work. Many female-dominated occupations involve extensive wet work, e.g.,
hairdressing, catering, cleaning and health-care work. These occupations are also high-risk occupations
for hand eczema. Experimental studies of skin irritation have not confirmed differences
between the sexes; thus, the higher prevalence of irritant contact dermatitis among females is most
likely due to exposure, occupational and non-occupational. Nickel allergy is the most common
contact allergy, which is most frequent in young females, and in 30–40% results over time in hand
eczema. Hand eczema has an impact on quality of life and females seem to report a higher degree
of discomfort than males. To achieve the optimal effect of preventive efforts regarding occupational
skin disease, the focus for prevention should aim at reducing wet exposure.
Key words: females; differences between the sexes; hand eczema; high-risk occupation; males; occupational
skin disease; prevalence; prevention; risk factor; wet work. C Munksgaard, 2000.
Skin disease caused or worsened by factors in the
working environment is one of the most commonly
occurring work-related illnesses. The predominant
condition is hand eczema, since in many jobs the
skin on the hands is subjected to damage caused
by contact with skin irritants and allergens. Unequivocal
reports in industrial injury registers, epidemiological
studies and clinical records indicate
that women are affected far more than men. However,
differences between the sexes with regard to
work-related skin disease have never been studied
to any great extent. A summary of a number of
dermatological textbooks was drawn up in 1996
at the University of Linköping Faculty of Health