[Screen dermatitis and visual display units].
Over the last fifteen years, the increasing prevalence of screens and electromagnetic devices used in a number of activities has determined the occurrence of new emerging clinical problems. Hence the need to evaluate the ergonomic aspects of the professions using such equipment to study the effects of electromagnetic fields on human health. The objective difficulties to standardize the studies on this field makes controversial the debate on the evidences in support of these nosographical entities and on the possible causative factors. One interesting area is that of dermatological diseases. The authors present the results of a study on the incidence of dermatological diseases of the face and of the neck in a population of screen workers. To achieve this goal subjects underwent dermatological counselling during the periodic of monitoring visits. Subjects were then identified in two groups: screen workers and as a control group, subjects not exposed to electronic equipments. Members of the first group when compared with those of the second, suffered more frequently from skin diseases, although there was just a statistical trend. However skin diseases were distributed with different frequency in the two groups and seborrheic dermatitis was much more represented among screen workers.
Spatari
G
G
Dipartimento di Medicina Sociale del Territorio, Università degli Studi di Messina. gspatari@unime.it
Sapienza
D
D
Familiari
A
A
Crimaldi
R
R
Martino
L Barbaro
LB
Trifirò
C
C
Fenga
C
C
Cannavò
S
S
D009783:Dermatitis, Occupational / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008838:Microcomputers; D008875:Middle Aged