| Summary: | Marta Szepietowska, Alicja Dabrowska, Szymon Dziasek, Bartosz Lisicki, Katarzyna Skinderowicz, Bartosz Wilczynski, Piotr K Krajewski, Jacek C Szepietowski Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, PolandCorrespondence: Jacek C Szepietowski, Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Wroclaw Medical University, Chalubinskiego 1, Wroclaw, 50-368, Poland, Tel +48-601534853, Email jacek.szepietowski@umw.edu.plBackground: Hand eczema (HE) is a common inflammatory skin disease occurring in subjects of any age. Literature data on knowledge of HE in different age-groups are scarce.Purpose: To evaluate knowledge and attitudes related to HE among adolescents.Methods: A total of 258 high school students were invited to participate in this project. A specially designed questionnaire created on the base of previous studies was used to assess adolescents’ knowledge of HE. HE was self-reported answering the validated single question “Have you ever had hand eczema?”Results: Data from 243 students (94.2% response rate) were obtained for final analysis. There were 117 (48.1%) females and 126 (51.9%), males with a mean age of 16.0± 1.7 years. Sixty-eight students (28%) reported a personal history of HE, and 32.8% declared having knowledge of HE. More females than males (P=0.023) declared that they knew what HE was (39.3% and 26.2%, respectively). Hand cream was used on a regular basis by 49% of adolescents. Females used hand cream more frequently (P< 0.001) than males. No difference in declared knowledge of HE was found between subjects with and without a personal history of hand lesions. Students declaring having adequate knowledge of HE used hand cream more commonly (P=0.045).Conclusion: Although HE is a common disease in the general population, including adolescents, less than a third of subjects were aware of this entity. Almost half were using hand cream, but interestingly, personal history of HE did not increase the regular application of hand cream.Keywords: hand eczema, children, adolescents, knowledge
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