A comparison between self-reported hand eczema and self-reported signs and symptoms of skin lesions indicating hand eczema

BACKGROUND: The accuracy of self-reported hand eczema (HE) is currently unclear, and it is unknown how well self-reported signs and symptoms of skin lesions that indicate HE correlate with self-reported HE.

OBJECTIVES: To correlate self-reported signs and symptoms of skin lesions on the hands with self-reported HE, to assess the sensitivity and specificity, and to suggest a definition for HE.

METHOD: Seven hundred ninety-five (47.8%) of 1663 invited healthcare workers completed a digital questionnaire, and were asked to report if they experienced HE or any of the following skin signs/symptoms in past 11 months: scaling, erythema, fissures, vesicles, dryness, itch, stinging.

RESULTS: HE during the past 11 months was reported by 11.9%. Of these, 91.4% reported at least one skin sign versus 32.3% of those without self-reported HE. The highest sensitivity and specificity were found for erythema (77.4% and 78.2%, respectively) and itch (78.5% and 78.6%, respectively), both separately and combined. The combination of ≥2 signs (erythema, scaling, fissures and vesicles) and itch, reached a sensitivity of 52.7% and specificity of 93.9%.

CONCLUSION: The marked difference between self-reported HE and signs/symptoms highlights the importance of differentiating between data based on self-reported HE and signs/symptoms. As a first step towards diagnostic HE criteria, ≥2 signs combined with itch could be considered, but clinical studies are needed to verify the precision.