title: Does smoking have a significant impact on early irritant hand dermatitis in metal workers?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although they know the long-term complications of smoking, many smokers require additional motivation for entering a smoking cessation programme. At the same time, smoking is considered a possible promoting factor for various skin diseases.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present study assesses the impact of smoking on occupational hand dermatitis in a high-risk population.
  
  
  METHODS
  1,355 metal workers, 97.3% of them shift workers, took part in a standardized interview and a dermatological examination of their hands. A subgroup of 1,020 males was willing to be followed-up for 1 year. Of those, 78.3% could be included in the final assessment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to the general German adult population the percentage of smokers was increased (41.7% at baseline). Probably due to self-selection bias and to a higher drop-out rate, the proportion of smokers was significantly lower at follow-up. Compared to nonsmokers, smokers had significantly higher score values for both erythematous lesions and vesicles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present data might give additional support for occupational physicians or dermatologists to convince workers to quit smoking.
authors.affiliation: Institute and Outpatient Clinic of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany. birgitta.kuetting@ipasum.uni-erlangen.de
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kütting
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Uter
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Weistenhöfer
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Baumeister
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Drexler
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017453:Dermatitis, Irritant / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009783:Dermatitis, Occupational / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006229:Hand Dermatoses / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult