The impact of hand eczema severity on quality of life in workers engaged in lock making: A cross-sectional study from tertiary care hospital

Hand eczema is a frequent condition that dermatologists commonly encounter. It leads to considerable impact on quality of life (QOL) by significant functional impairment, disruption of work, and discomfort in the working population. The symptoms range from a minor discomfort to a serious debilitating and long-term conditions. Workers engaged in lock making constitute an economically poor section of society. They are exposed to different kinds of allergens, hence are predisposed to develop hand eczema. The aim of this study was to study the impact of hand eczema on the QOL in workers engaged in lock making. A total of 65 workers engaged in lock making and suffering from hand eczema, who visited the out-patient department of dermatology for 6 months, were included in this study. Data on QOL were obtained through a questionnaire devised by Finlay et al. Hand eczema severity index (HECSI) was used to assess the severity of disease. Associations were drawn regarding Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and HECSI scores with age, sex, duration of disease, number of episodes of illness, and number of sick leaves. Sixty-five patients suffering from hand eczema and engaged in lock making participated in this study, of which 52 (80%) were male and 13 (20%) were female. The commonest age group affected was 36–40 years (41.53%). The most common morphological pattern seen was hyperkeratotic palmar eczema in 50.7% (n = 33) patients followed by chronic dry fissured eczema in 35.3% (n = 23). The mean HECSI score was 19.52 (Standard deviation [SD] = 9.416) and mean DLQI score was 9.92 (SD = 2.426). A significant association of DLQI was seen with duration of disease (P = 0.011), number of episodes of eczema (P = 0.003), and number of sick leaves taken (P = 0.005). Similarly, HECSI score showed significant association with duration of disease (P = 0.002) but not with number of episodes of eczema (P = 0.056). No significant association was found between hand eczema severity and QOL. Being a OPD-based study, it may not truly reflect the community data. Patch test could not be done as workers were poor and could not afford it. Lock makers with hand eczema showed considerable impairment of their QOL. Further, they are more prone to absenteeism from work.