Impact of hand eczema on quality of life: metropolitan versus non-metropolitan areas

BACKGROUND: An inverse relationship between disease severity and health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) in patients with hand eczema is well established, but modifying effects of demographic variables have been less well studied.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the influence of metropolitan versus non-metropolitan residence on the relationship between disease severity and HR-QoL in patients with occupational hand eczema.

METHODS: The city of Copenhagen and the rest of Zealand were defined as metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas, respectively. Participants were 773 persons with occupational hand eczema. A questionnaire on the severity of hand eczema and HR-QoL was sent to all participants.

RESULTS: The odds for reporting moderate to high severity of occupational hand eczema were significantly lower in the metropolitan population than in the non-metropolitan population [odds ratio (OR): 0.42; 95%CI: 0.23-0.75], whereas low dermatology-related quality of life was more prevalent in metropolitan than in non-metropolitan patients (OR: 1.31; 95%CI: 0.83-2.05), indicating that hand eczema had a more pronounced negative effect in metropolitan patients, in spite of less severe eczema.

CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that area of residence has a modifying effect on the relationship between disease severity and HR-QoL, with a more negative impact on HR-QoL in metropolitan than in non-metropolitan areas. This information is important with respect to fully appreciating the burden of occupational hand eczema.