title: Occupational dermatitis in health care workers evaluated for suspected allergic contact dermatitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Contact dermatitides occur commonly among health care workers (HCWs).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To contrast the atopic status and incidence, location, and final diagnosis of skin diseases afflicting HCWs versus non-HCWs (NHCWs) evaluated for suspicion of allergic contact dermatitis (ACD); and among the population diagnosed with ACD, to compare the incidence and occupational relatedness of allergens found in HCWs with the rates observed in NHCWs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between July 1, 1994, and May 30, 2014, 2611 patients underwent patch testing by the senior author. Of these, 165 were classified as HCWs based on their primary occupation. Statistical analysis was done using a χ test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Health care workers were more likely than NHCWs to be women and to have hand dermatitis. Women, but not men, HCWs suffered more irritant contact dermatitis. Health care workers had significantly more work-related ACD, especially to formaldehyde, quaternium-15, 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol, cocamide diethanolamine (DEA), thiuram mix, carba mix, thimerosal, benzalkonium chloride, glutaraldehyde, and bacitracin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Only patients suspected of having ACD were tested. Our population was geographically limited to metropolitan Kansas City, MO and metropolitan New York, NY.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Health care workers suffer more from occupational ACD, especially of the hands, than do NHCWs, including to allergens not present on available standard allergen series.
authors.affiliation: From the *Rush University School of Medicine, Chicago, IL; and †Department of Dermatology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY.
authors.forename: Salmon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kadivar
authors.forename: Donald V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Belsito
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001414:Bacitracin / Q000009:adverse effects; D001548:Benzalkonium Compounds / Q000009:adverse effects; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D017449:Dermatitis, Allergic Contact / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D017453:Dermatitis, Irritant / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D009783:Dermatitis, Occupational / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D004202:Disinfectants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005557:Formaldehyde / Q000009:adverse effects; D005659:Fungicides, Industrial / Q000009:adverse effects; D005976:Glutaral / Q000009:adverse effects; D006229:Hand Dermatoses / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008709:Methenamine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D008875:Middle Aged; D010328:Patch Tests; D011310:Preservatives, Pharmaceutical / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013849:Thimerosal / Q000009:adverse effects; D013893:Thiram / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001548:Benzalkonium Compounds; D004202:Disinfectants; D005659:Fungicides, Industrial; D011310:Preservatives, Pharmaceutical; D013893:Thiram; D001414:Bacitracin; D005557:Formaldehyde; D013849:Thimerosal; C018375:quaternium-15; D008709:Methenamine; D005976:Glutaral