Chronic Hand Eczema: Clinical Insights, Patient Experience, and Emerging Therapeutics

An expert discusses how chronic hand eczema (CHE) is a common condition affecting 1% to 5% of adults and is defined as hand eczema lasting at least 3 months or relapsing at least 2 times per year, distinct from atopic dermatitis.

An expert discusses how chronic hand eczema (CHE) presents in various clinical and etiologic subtypes, including irritant and allergic contact dermatitis, atopic hand eczema, and protein contact dermatitis, with clinical manifestations ranging from hyperkeratotic to vesicular forms.

An expert discusses how risk factors for chronic hand eczema (CHE) include atopic dermatitis, filaggrin mutations, contact allergies, environmental conditions, and occupational exposures, with hand eczema being the most common occupational skin disease.

An expert discusses how chronic hand eczema (CHE) diagnosis relies on clinical features such as erythema, scaling, vesicles, hyperkeratosis, fissures, and erosions, which must be distinguished from atopic dermatitis through a comprehensive patient history and full-body examination.

An expert discusses how chronic hand eczema (CHE) significantly impacts patients' daily activities and work productivity, as painful symptoms and limitations make routine tasks challenging, while avoidance recommendations are often difficult to implement.

An expert discusses how chronic hand eczema (CHE) treatment follows a stepwise approach from general care and barrier protection to topical therapies (corticosteroids and calcineurin inhibitors) and systemic options (alitretinoin, immunosuppressives, and newer biologics for atopic dermatitis).

An expert discusses how new treatments for chronic hand eczema (CHE) are emerging, particularly topical delgocitinib cream, a pan-Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor that shows promise for treating multiple etiologies of the condition without the limitations of traditional topical steroids.