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. 2025 Jan;92(1):31-40.
doi: 10.1111/cod.14687. Epub 2024 Sep 24.

The association between wet work and hand eczema in the Dutch general population: Application of a job exposure matrix to the lifelines cohort study

Marjolein J Brands  1 , Laura Loman  1 , Tamara T Lund  2 , Esben M Flachs  3 , Ute Bültmann  4 , Marie L A Schuttelaar  1
Affiliations

The association between wet work and hand eczema in the Dutch general population: Application of a job exposure matrix to the lifelines cohort study

Marjolein J Brands et al. Contact Dermatitis. 2025 Jan.

Abstract

Background: Studies on wet work and hand eczema (HE) frequently rely solely on self-reports regarding wet work.

Objectives: To assess the association between wet work and moderate-to-very-severe HE, within the Dutch general population, by using a (sex-specific) job exposure matrix (JEM).

Methods: Within the Lifelines Cohort Study, participants with self-reported moderate-to-very-severe HE at worst in the past year were linked to data from the Danish (sex-specific) wet work JEM, a tool that links occupations with wet work indices (including duration and probability of glove use, wet hands and total wet work for at least 2 and 4 h/working day).

Results: In total, 56 978 (41.9%) participants were included. The multivariate binary logistic regression analyses showed significant associations between all facets of wet work and moderate-to-very-severe HE. When using the sex-specific JEM, significant associations were found in females, but not in males.

Conclusions: This study is the first to use a wet work-specific JEM in a general population sample, and found positive associations between wet work and HE. The sex-specific findings should be interpreted with caution, due to limitations inherent in using a JEM, and should be further explored with observational studies, with a focus on duration, frequency, and exposure type.

Keywords: general population; hand dermatitis; hand eczema; job exposure matrix; occupational exposure; wet work; work‐related exposure.

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Conflict of interest statement

M. L. A. Schuttelaar received research grant from Sanofi Genzyme; received consultancy fees from Sanofi Genzyme and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals; and is advisory board member for Sanofi Genzyme, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, Abbvie, LEO Pharma, and Lilly. M. J. Brands, L. Loman, T.T. Lund, E.M. Flachs, and U. Bültmann have nothing to disclose.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Associations between having wet hands and moderate‐to‐very‐severe HE at worst in the past year versus never HE (N = 49 995). Adjusted for sex (in the case of total study population analyses), age (groups), atopic dermatitis, contact allergies and non‐occupational wet exposure. *Significant at 0.05 level, **Significant at 0.001 level. CI, confidence interval; OR, Odds ratio; SD, standard deviation.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Associations between wearing gloves and moderate‐to‐very‐severe HE at worst in the past year versus never HE (N = 49 995). Adjusted for sex (in the case of total study population analyses), age (groups), atopic dermatitis, contact allergies and non‐occupational wet exposure. *Significant at 0.05 level, **Significant at 0.001 level. CI, confidence interval; OR, Odds ratio; SD, standard deviation.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Associations between total wet work and moderate‐to‐very‐severe HE at worst in the past year versus never HE (N = 49 995). Adjusted for sex (in the case of total study population analyses), age (groups), atopic dermatitis, contact allergies and non‐occupational wet exposure. *Significant at 0.05 level, **Significant at 0.001 level. CI, confidence interval; OR, Odds ratio; SD, standard deviation.
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