Incidence and prevalence rates for occupational contact dermatitis in an Australian suburban area.
Occupational contact dermatitis (OCD) regularly causes high levels of worker morbidity; however, this is often not reflected in available statistics. This study aimed to collect and verify OCD reports/referrals and generate disease estimates for a defined geographical area in Melbourne, Australia. Two methods of data collection were used. In the first method, 30 general practitioners (GPs), 2 dermatologists and 1 dermatology outpatient clinic within a defined area reported each worker with suspected OCD seen as part of routine practice. With the second method, workers living in the area who were referred to a tertiary referral OCD clinic were included in the study. An occupational dermatologist used a gold standard process that included diagnostic patch testing to verify suspected cases. The incidence rate for confirmed cases was 20.5 per 100,000 workers [95% confidence interval (CI): 13-32.1]. The 1-year-period prevalence rate was 34.5 per 100,000 (95% CI: 24.4-48.7). The positive predictive value (PPV) was highest for the occupational dermatology clinic referrals [63% (95% CI: 49-76%)] compared with reports from the dermatologists/dermatology outpatient clinic [55% (95% CI: 36-74%)] and from GPs [43% (95% CI: 29-59%)]. This study utilizes reports from GPs and dermatologists to provide OCD disease estimates and validation data for an OCD disease register.
Keegel
Tessa
T
Occupational Dermatology Research and Education Centre, Skin and Cancer Foundation Inc., Melbourne, Australia.
Cahill
Jennifer
J
Noonan
Amanda
A
Dharmage
Shyamali
S
Saunders
Helen
H
Frowen
Kathryn
K
Nixon
Rosemary
R
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000485:Allergens / Q000009:adverse effects; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D017453:Dermatitis, Irritant / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D009783:Dermatitis, Occupational / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010328:Patch Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D011336:Probability; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012424:Rural Population; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014739:Victoria / Q000453:epidemiology
D000485:Allergens