Hand eczema-A growing dermatological concern during the COVID-19 pandemic and possible treatments

Facial Papulopustular Eruption during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Patients Treated with EGFR Inhibitors

Papulopustular rash (PPR) is the most frequent cutaneous adverse event during treatment with epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors (EGFRis). Although often mild in severity, it can impair patients' quality of life and may also be a reason for discontinuing or changing the dose of the antineoplastic treatment. During COVID-19 pandemics, the use of surgical masks drastically increased and it had an impact on the face skin microenvironment, favoring the worsening of dermatological pathologies. We reported the relapse of PPR in patients treated with EGFR inhibitors who consistently wore face masks (>6 hours/day). All the patients developed the PPR within 6 months of starting mask use. Compared to the PPR occurred previously, after mask use, the skin eruption was more severe and affected mainly those regions of the face which came into contact with the mask. Patients received topical or systemic treatment, obtaining complete response in 65.7% of the cases. The establishment of an early treatment for the PPR allows continuing the oncologic treatment, without any suspension which could result in a decreased oncologic outcome. In conclusion, when using these devices, it is recommended to use special precautions, particularly in oncologic patients, by using a daily prophylactic skincare and replacing masks regularly with regular and frequent breaks.

Hand Eczema in the Polish Female Population

BACKGROUND

This study aims to investigate the prevalence of hand eczema, its association with disinfectant usage during the COVID-19 pandemic, and potential correlations with age and dermatological history on hand symptoms in the Polish female population.

METHODS

A personalized online questionnaire was administered from January to March 2021 to 142 participants, including individuals with hand eczema. The questionnaire addressed demographics, dermatological history, disinfectant usage, and symptoms experienced during the pandemic.

RESULTS

The prevalence of hand eczema was higher in younger adults (aged 18-35), with significant exacerbations reported due to increased disinfectant usage. Respondents with a dermatological history were more susceptible to new skin symptoms during the pandemic. The quality of life was substantially impacted, particularly in individuals with hand skin dermatoses.

CONCLUSIONS

The COVID-19 pandemic had a considerable influence on hand eczema, affecting prevalence, symptoms, and quality of life. Disinfectant usage emerged as a key factor in exacerbating hand skin lesions. Further research is warranted to explore the influence of specific disinfecting agents and improve treatment guidelines for personalized management of hand eczema. Despite limitations in the online survey method, these findings highlight the importance of proactive healthcare support for individuals with hand eczema during challenging times.

The Prevalence and Clinical Features of Skin Irritation Caused by Infection Prevention Measures During COVID-19 in Riyadh Region, Saudi Arabia

INTRODUCTION

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), caused by a novel coronavirus (CoV), was reported at the end of 2019 and caused a severe public health concern. It caused high mortalities by respiratory failure among infected people and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020. This virus caused infections through air or direct contact which documented a huge number of fatalities.

AIM

This study aims to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on skin eczema of the general public in the Riyadh region of Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

This is a descriptive, cross-sectional, survey-based study, that was conducted via an online survey distributed to the general population of Riyadh for the period between January and February 2023. Data was collected through a questionnaire which was distributed through the social media websites.

RESULTS

A total of 697 participants were involved in this study. Around one-fifth of the study participants (19.5%) reported that they suffer from some form of allergy and have family history of allergy (21.8%). Eczema was the most common type of allergy among the study participants accounting for 32.4%. A total of 116 participants (16.6%) reported that they have personal history of hand eczema or other skin disease on the hands. Cleaning and sterilization materials were reported as the most common cause of dryness and irritation of eczema (62.1%). Around 41.0% of the participants reported that they noticed a worsening of their symptoms after the pandemic, of which dryness was the most commonly reported sign noticed getting worse by 68.1% of the participants. The vast majority of the participants (89.7%) reported that new skin symptoms emerged on their hands after the beginning of the pandemic, of which dryness was reported by all the participants.

CONCLUSION

A considerable proportion of participants, particularly those with a history of hand eczema, experienced dermatological difficulties, including skin damage, due to the usage of COVID-19 preventive strategies. Thus, we recommend increasing the use of innovative infection prevention approaches and skin protection measures, such as regular hand hydration and maybe the use of less toxic skin disinfectants.

Questionnaire-Based Study Evaluating the Hand Hygiene Practices and the Impact of Disinfection in the COVID-19 Pandemic on Hand Skin Conditions in Poland

During the COVID-19 pandemic, disinfection became an integral part of everybody's life in order to avoid spreading the coronavirus. In 2021, an original anonymous online survey was carried out. The questions concerned the usage of disinfectants. The study population included 56 subjects diagnosed by a physician with hand eczema (HE-derm group) and 114 subjects with no hand skin disease diagnosed by a specialist (non-derm). The HE and non-HE groups were distinguished. Nearly 80% of the HE group, and 10% of the non-HE group, experienced worsening of hand skin lesions caused by increased skin disinfection. HE-group respondents more often declared the occurrence of new hand skin symptoms, over 80% of the subjects of this group had more than 1 new symptom (compared to nearly 40% of the non-HE group). Exacerbations of the skin disease were more frequently observed by the HE group during the pandemic. There was a statistically significant decrease of the quality of life in the HE group compared to the non-HE group during the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic caused an increase in the prevalence of hand skin symptoms and deterioration of the skin condition. Education on appropriate disinfection techniques and skincare, as well as early dermatological intervention, might allow us to limit the development of hand skin diseases.

The Prevalence and Clinical Features of Skin Irritation Caused by Infection Prevention Measures During COVID-19 in the Mecca Region, Saudi Arabia

PURPOSE

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, recommendations to prevent infection suggest increasing the frequency of handwashing and disinfection; however, these measures can have negative implications on our skin. This study aims to evaluate whether these measures correlate with new-onset skin damage or can exacerbate hand eczema among the general population.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This was a descriptive, cross-sectional, survey-based study, including the general population of Mecca region, Saudi Arabia. To achieve the study's aim, an online questionnaire to the general population comprising 25 items was distributed via social media apps during the pandemic between October 23 and November 21, 2020. Data were automatically collected in Excel and entered into SPSS for analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 783 participants were included in this study, of whom 695 (88.8%) were female. A history of hand eczema was reported among 123 (15.7%) participants, and 270 (34.5%) had a history of atopy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 86 (13.0%) participants noticed new-onset skin irritation, while 81 (31.3%) of the participants reported exacerbation of earlier hand allergic dermatitis. The most frequent symptoms were dryness and feeling of tightness. Additionally, most participants among both groups noticed that skin lesions appeared for less than 10 days. The frequent handwashing statistically increased following the onset of the pandemic (p=0.001), there is association between new-onset symptoms and more frequent handwashing, as well as the use of hand disinfectants, during the pandemic (p=0.001).

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests that the general population's skin was negatively affected by COVID-19 precautions, particularly those with a history of hand eczema. We recommend spreading awareness of skin protective modalities and the use of new infection prevention measures, such as regular skin moisturization for hand protection and possibly using less damaging skin disinfectants like ozonized water provided it is scientifically proven effective in disinfecting COVID-19 virus.

Hand Hygiene Habits and Prevalence of Hand Eczema During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose:

This study aimed to explore the prevalence of and possible risk factors for hand eczema with respect to the dissemination of information about new hand hygiene habits to protect against ongoing COVID-19 cross-transmission. The authors conducted a survey among health care workers (HCWs) and non-HCW populations in Khon Kaen, Thailand.

Results:

A total of 805 participants participated. The prevalence of hand eczema in the study population was 20.87%. There were several risk factors, including working as a HCW, having a history of previous hand eczema, having underlying atopic dermatitis, wearing gloves in everyday life, and washing hands frequently (more than 10 times/day). Hand hygiene with alcohol-based products was shown to be a risk factor for hand eczema, (OR (95% CI) 1.86 (1.03-3.35), P = .04).

Conclusion:

In terms of hand eczema prevention, we suggest that the use of alcohol-based products should be discontinued if other handwashing methods are available. The following factors increase the risk of hand eczema: being a HCW, having previous hand eczema, and having underlying atopic dermatitis. Proper strategies in terms of hand eczema prevention should be addressed, especially in this group, since we need to continue performing hand hygiene during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Optimizing Safe Dental Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Recommendations Based on a Guide Developed for Dental Practices in China

The current global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is still exerting severe global implications, and its development in various regions is complex and variable. The high risk of cross-infection poses a great challenge to the dental practice environment; it is therefore urgent to develop a set of pandemic prevention measures to ensure dental practice safety during the COVID-19 outbreak. Therefore, we combined the epidemiological characteristics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), public emergency measures for COVID-19, characteristics of dental practice, and relevant literature reports to develop a set of dynamic practice measures for dental practices in high-, medium-, and low-risk areas affected by COVID-19. This will help dental practices to achieve standard prevention and ensure their safe and smooth operation during the pandemic. It is hoped that these measures will provide a reference basis for dental hospitals and dental clinics in their care and pandemic prevention work.

COVID-19 related masks increase severity of both acne (maskne) and rosacea (mask rosacea): Multi-center, real-life, telemedical, and observational prospective study

Masks are essential for COVID‐19 prevention, but recently they were suggested to modify cutaneous facial microenvironment and trigger facial dermatoses. To evaluate mask‐related rosacea and acne (maskne) in untreated patients during lockdown. In this multi‐center, real‐life, observational prospective study, we enrolled stable, untreated acne and rosacea patients that wore masks during lockdown at least 6 h/day. They underwent two teledermatological consultations, at the baseline and after 6 weeks. Clinical, pharmacological, and psychological data were recorded. A total 66 patients, 30 (median age: 34.0 [30.25‐29.75] yoa) with acne and 36 patients (median age: 48 [43‐54] years) with rosacea, were enrolled in this study. After 6 weeks of mask and quarantine, patients with acne displayed an increased Global Acne Grading Scale (GAGS) score in mask‐related areas (P < .0001). Likewise, after 6 weeks of mask and quarantine, patients with rosacea displayed a worsen in both physican (P < .0001) and patient (P < .0001) reported outcomes. Remarkably, patients reported also a statistically significant decrease in their quality of life (P < .0001). Masks appear to trigger both acne and rosacea flares. Additional studies are needed to generate evidence and inform clinical decision‐making.

COVID-19: The experience from Iran

The first cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Iran were detected on February 19, 2020. Soon the entire country was hit with the virus. Although dermatologists were not immediately the frontline health care workers, all aspects of their practice were drastically affected. Adapting to this unprecedented crisis required urgent appropriate responses. With preventive measures and conserving health care resources being the most essential priorities, dermatologists, as an integral part of the health system, needed to adapt their practices according to the latest guidelines. The spectrum of the challenges encompassed education, teledermatology, lasers, and other dermatologic procedures, as well as management of patients who were immunosuppressed or developed drug reactions and, most importantly, the newly revealed cutaneous signs of COVID-19. These challenges have paved the way for new horizons in dermatology.

An overlooked risk for healthcare workers amid COVID-19: Occupational hand eczema

OBJECTIVE:

Hand hygiene, one of the most critical preventive methods against Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) cross-transmission, has increased during the COVID-19 outbreak. The present study aims to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of hand eczema (HE) and associated symptoms in healthcare workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 outbreak.

METHODS:

We distributed a self-administered online survey to physicians and nurses in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. The survey included questions about HE-associated symptoms and risk factors before and during the pandemic.

RESULTS:

Five hundred sixty-four individuals (349 physicians and 215 nurses) answered the survey. Post-COVID-19, the prevalence of HE increased from 6.6% to 11.7% and the prevalence of HE-associated symptoms increased from 39.5% to 79.3%. Female gender (odds ratio [OR]: 3.92; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.12–7.25), a history of atopic diseases (OR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.03–2.8), more frequent handwashing (OR: 1.03; 95% CI: 1.01–1.05), and more frequent use of moisturizers (OR: 1.12; 95% CI: 1.01–1.24) were independently associated with the risk of HE-associated symptoms.

CONCLUSION:

Because of increased handwashing during the COVID-19 outbreak, there is a significant increase in HE-associated symptoms in HCWs. Proper education and preventive strategies for HE are urgently needed for HCWs fighting on the front lines of COVID-19.