Occupational dermatoses.

Abstract

Occupational dermatoses are not only a health issue but also an economic issue, and economic losses because of them can be huge. It should be noted that occupational dermatoses are a serious problem, and the number of occupational dermatoses may be underreported worldwide. The rate of occupational dermatoses has been reported to account for 20-30% of all occupational diseases [1,2]. Diepgen found that 50-190 out of 100,000 workers develop occupational contact dermatitis [3], and another study reports that 23,596 of 71,263 occupational diseases were classified as occupational skin diseases [4]. In Greece, 39.9% of employees (4000 workers, 20 types of enterprise, 104 companies) were found to suffer from occupational dermatitis, and there was no statistically significant correlation between gender and prevalence of occupational dermatoses [5]. It is interesting, however, that reports of occupational dermatoses are rare in Brazil because of workers’ fear of losing their jobs and salaries [6].