The Occupational Impact of Chronic Hand Eczema: More Than Meets the Eye

For individuals living with chronic hand eczema (CHE), work, and even leisure activities, may be triggers or exacerbating factors of disease. Survey responses collected from nearly 1,000 individuals in the United States showed that patients with CHE often alter the course of their lives due to the limiting nature of this disease and the significant burden associated with it. The findings were presented in a poster session at the 2025 Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference in Las Vegas. 

CHE is a common inflammatory skin disease characterized by persistent hand dermatitis that lasts over 3 months or recurs at least twice a year. Studies have shown that CHE adversely affects quality of life for many patients by limiting activities, reducing job performance, and causing psychological distress. CHE may be triggered or exacerbated by exposure to irritants and contact allergens encountered in certain occupations and activities, such as those involving “wet work” and irritating chemicals. 

Researchers used data from the CHECK-US survey to analyze the impact of CHE on choice of occupation, work productivity, and impairment of activities among adults with CHE living in the United States. CHECK-US was an online survey conducted among 10,636 adult participants representative of the general population in the United States, who were recruited via online panels between March and May 2025. The analysis included nearly 1,000 participants who reported a physician diagnosis of CHE and completed the full questionnaire, which asked about key aspects of CHE. The participants were asked about the severity of their disease, and were surveyed about the impact of CHE on daily activities using the validated Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI) instrument. 

Among the 982 participants with physician-diagnosed CHE, 27.9% attributed their disease to their occupation, and more than a third (34.9%) said the disease was connected to their household or leisure activities. Among those who attributed their disease to their occupation, one-third reported having a “wet occupation,” involving frequent or prolonged exposure of the hands and wrists to water, and nearly one-quarter of the group said they worked in the food industry. Almost 70% of the participants said that their CHE symptoms improved when they were away from work. 

A vast majority of the individuals who self-reported a physician-diagnosis of CHE were employed at the time of the survey (76.4%) and nearly 80% were employed in the year before completing the survey. However, many individuals reported changing their occupation or modifying their daily activities to reduce exposure to potential CHE triggers. Some of the participants who reported occupational triggers or exacerbators related to household activities said they had to reduce their working hours or make changes to their daily activities, changed their work assignments (17.9%), or changed jobs (15.2%). 

Responses to the WPAI questionnaire, which was completed by 611 participants who were employed at the time of the survey, showed that CHE caused some patients to miss work hours regularly or prevented them from completing their work tasks. The overall proportion of activity impairment (42.7%), calculated for the entire cohort, reinforced the finding that CHE has a substantial impact on work and daily activities. Not surprisingly, individuals with moderate-to-severe CHE experienced greater overall disruption in work and daily activities compared to those with mild CHE symptoms. 

“Participants with moderate-to-severe CHE reported a substantial negative impact on activity and productivity, as indicated by Work Productivity and Activity Impairment scores, with the overall work impairment score combining work time missed and CHE impact while working,” the authors noted. “This research highlights the significant burden of the disease on both work productivity and daily activities, underlining the importance of effective management strategies to help reduce the broader impact of the disease.”