Cent Eur J Public Health 2021, 29(3):191-194 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a6260

Skin sensitization among night shift and daytime healthcare workers: a cross sectional study

Luca Coppeta, Ludovico Maria De Zordo, Francesca Papa, Antonio Pietroiusti, Andrea Magrini
Occupational Medicine Department, Tor Vergata University of Rome, Rome, Italy

Objective: Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) in the healthcare sector is a major occupational health hazard. There are many reasons for a higher frequency of ACD in healthcare personnel compared to other populations: among others, simultaneous exposure to multiple substances, use of aggressive detergents and wet work. However, studies that systematically correlate skin symptoms with the presence of sensitization investigated through patch tests in specific categories of health workers are very rare and conflicting. Although some studies have reported a correlation between skin disease and night shift, the strength of the evidence is rather limited. The purpose of our study was to investigate by means of patch testing the skin sensitization (SS) to common allergens in the hospital setting in a group of healthcare workers (HCW) reporting symptoms related to dermatitis, according to their job activity and their shift status.

Methods: 132 HCWs visiting a health surveillance centre were investigated by means of specific questionnaire for dermatitis, followed by patch test evaluation including 40 haptens of the SIDAPA 2016 series.

Results: Skin sensitization was observed in 1/3 of the subjects investigated by patch tests. The nursing job was strongly associated with cutaneous reactivity after controlling for the confounding of gender, age and other factors. Shift work was related to the prevalence of SS.

Conclusions: In our study, the nurse's role and shift work were significantly associated with the risk of cutaneous sensitization, in particular for common antigens.

Keywords: contact dermatitis, health care, nursing occupation, nickel sensitization, night shift

Received: May 3, 2020; Revised: July 15, 2021; Accepted: July 15, 2021; Published: September 30, 2021  Show citation

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Coppeta L, De Zordo LM, Papa F, Pietroiusti A, Magrini A. Skin sensitization among night shift and daytime healthcare workers: a cross sectional study. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2021;29(3):191-194. doi: 10.21101/cejph.a6260. PubMed PMID: 34623118.
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