Hand Eczema Extent is a Long-Term Prognostic Factor

Morphology does not add any significant information

FRIDAY, Aug. 31 (HealthDay News) -- The extent of hand eczema is a strong negative long-term prognostic factor, confirming a previous study, while morphology does not add any significant prognostic information, according to study findings published in the September issue of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

Birgitta Meding, M.D., from the National Institute for Working Life in Stockholm, Sweden, and colleagues classified 868 patients with hand eczema based on extent and morphology, and determined whether both parameters could predict long-term prognosis. The authors had previously shown that eczema extent was a strong negative prognostic factor in a 15-year follow-up of the same set of patients.

The researchers found an association between eczema extent and morphology (Spearman's correlation coefficient 0.36). Based on extent and morphology, 68 percent of patients with visible eczema were classified into low and high extent groups. Widespread eczema and polymorphism were negative prognostic factors, but morphology did not add any significant information for long-term prognosis.

"In conclusion, the results show a clear association between extent and morphology of hand eczema, both predicting prognosis," Meding and colleagues conclude. "Recording morphology did not add significant information when assessing long-term prognosis."

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