Allergic contact dermatitis and other occupational skin diseases in health care workers in the Finnish Register of Occupational Diseases in 2005-2016.

BACKGROUND

Health care workers are an important risk group for occupational skin disease (OSD).

AIMS

To study diagnoses and causes of OSDs in health care workers in the Finnish Register of Occupational Diseases (FROD) in 2005-2016.

METHODS

We searched the FROD for dermatological cases (a) in health care-related occupations defined by ISCO-08 and (b) in the industrial branch of health care defined by European industry standard classification system (NACE rev. 2).

RESULTS

Health care workers comprised 19% of all OSD cases in the FROD, and irritant contact dermatitis dominated the diagnoses. Nurses and assistant nurses were the largest occupational groups with incidence rates of 3.3 and 2.7/10 000 person years, respectively. Rubber chemicals were by far the most common causative agents of allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) followed by preservatives, the latter mainly comprising isothiazolinones and formaldehyde. Acrylates were important allergens in dental professions. Metals and coconut fatty acid derivatives were the next largest causative groups for ACD. Drugs caused only 1% of the ACD cases.

CONCLUSIONS

Workers in different health care occupations do not have a uniform risk for OSD, but they share the risk for ACD due to rubber chemicals and various preservatives.