Management of occupational dermatitis

Abstract

Contact dermatitis is the most common occupational skin disorder, responsible for up to 30% of all cases of occupational disease in industrialized nations. Epidemiologic data suggest that contact dermatitis accounts for 90% to 95% of all cases of occupational skin disease, imposing considerable social and economic implications. Occupational contact dermatitis is broadly classified into allergic and irritant subtypes. Irritant contact dermatitis is widely quoted in the literature to account for 80% of occupational contact dermatitis cases, with allergic cases held responsible for the remaining 20%.