Occupational irritant and allergic contact dermatitis among healthcare workers.

Contact dermatitis is the most frequent occupational dermatosis and non-specific irritants in addition to specific Type IV sensitization are involved. We reviewed our database for data from 1994 to 1998 and selected 360 consecutive patients working in healthcare environments and experiencing contact dermatitis at their hands, wrists and forearms. We found that allergic contact dermatitis and irritant contact dermatitis were considered to be work-related in 16.