Hand strength and dexterity in individuals with hand eczema

Autor: Magnus Bruze, Marléne Isaksson, H.M. Passlov, Ann Pontén, Cecilia Svedman, Jonas Björk, Birgitta Rosén
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. 34:2856-2862
ISSN: 1468-3083
0926-9959
Popis: Background: Patients with hand eczema often describe symptoms such as pain, clumsiness and difficulty flexing their fingers, thus impairing the function of the hand. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether hand eczema is associated with a measurable impairment of hand strength and dexterity. We also studied the relationship between hand function and the ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL), pain level and quality of life measured with the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Methods: Twenty-one participants with ongoing hand eczema were examined with well-established methods for measuring hand grip strength, pinch strength and dexterity. A questionnaire was designed to investigate perceived ability to perform ADL. The participants were also asked to grade their current pain level, and the DLQI was used to assess the participants' quality of life. A group of 12 participants was reinvestigated when healed. Results: The participants demonstrated a significant improvement in all functional tests when healed. There was a strong correlation between ADL and both dexterity and hand grip strength. There was also a strong correlation between ADL and pain. All participants reported some difficulty performing ADL. Conclusions: Our results suggest that ongoing hand eczema may lead to a measurable decrease of strength and dexterity of the hand, leading to an impairment of the ability to perform ADL and consequently to a poorer quality of life.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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