Adults with chronic hand eczema showed significantly higher levels of anxiety but no difference in depression, compared with healthy controls, based on data from a review of 71 patients. The patients were assessed for anxiety and depression with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and also for compulsive behavior with the Leyton Trait Scale.
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Overall quality of life was evaluated according to the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), and the average score in the patient population was 11.11.
Patients with hand dermatitis had significantly higher scores on the HADS-Anxiety subscale compared to healthy controls, but there was no significant difference in HADS-Depression subscale scores between the groups, noted lead author Dr. Anargyros Kouris of Andreas Sygros Hospital, Athens, and colleagues.
“Hand eczema treatment should address the severity of skin lesions as well as the psychological impact of hand eczema,” the researchers concluded (Contact Dermatitis 2015 June [doi: 10.1111/cod.12366]).
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