Quality of life, anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive tendencies in patients with chronic hand eczema.

BACKGROUND Chronic hand eczema is a common dermatological disorder of multifactorial aetiology. It affects physical, material, social and psychological aspects of life, thereby impairing health-related quality of life. OBJECTIVES The aim of the present study was to assess quality of life, anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive tendencies in patients with chronic hand eczema. MATERIALS AND METHODS Seventy-one patients with chronic hand eczema were included in the study. Quality of life was evaluated according to the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Patients were also assessed for anxiety and depression with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and for compulsive behaviour with the Leyton Trait Scale. RESULTS The DLQI score was 11.11 ± 1.81 in patients with chronic hand eczema. Scores on the Leyton Trait Scale were significantly higher than those of healthy controls (p < 0.027). As concerns the HADS-Anxiety subscale, patients with hand dermatitis had statistically significantly higher scores than those of volunteers (p = 0.002). In contrast, no statistically significant difference was found between the two groups with regard to the HADS-Depression subscale score and total HADS score. CONCLUSION Hand eczema treatment should address the severity of skin lesions as well as the psychological impact of hand eczema.