Background: Occupational allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) is one of the\nmost frequent diseases on the workplace worldwide. Its national incidence\nand prevalence were not previously studied in Tunisia. Objective: To assess\nincidence of occupational allergic contact dermatitis and its occupational\noutcome in Tunisia. Methods: Descriptive epidemiological study of all cases\nof occupational allergic contact dermatitis reported from 2002 to 2012 in Tunisia\nand recognized by the medical commissions of the National Health Insurance\nFund. Results: 315 cases of occupational ACD were collected\nrepresenting an annual incidence of 31.65 cases/100.000 workers in the private\nsector in Tunisia. The mean age of our population was 42.70 ± 9.02 years\nwith a male predominance (sex ratio 3.03). The most affected sectors were the\nclothing sector (14.3% of cases) and the cement industry (13.7% of cases).\nPatch tests were positive in 188 patients (59.67%). The most frequently positive\nallergen was potassium dichromate in 27.3% of the cases. Overall, 25.4%\nof patients had lost their jobs. After multiple binary logistic regression, job\nloss had a statistically significant relationship with localization of lesions on\nthe face and on dominant hand. Conclusion: Occupational ACD is frequent\nin Tunisia and is responsible for an important rate of job loss. Preventive\nmeasures must be reinforced, especially the wearing of protective\ngloves.
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