Does a patient's occupation influence the course of atopic dermatitis?

The importance of occupational environments in relation to the course of an atopic skin disease was investigated. A series of 1008 adult patients, who had had an atopic disease since their teenage years, were studied. Severe or moderate childhood atopic dermatitis tended to persist or relapse in adulthood independent of occupation. Only dermatitis of the hands showed a correlation with extensive daily exposure to occupational irritation factors. Atopic dermatitis patients did not go on sick leave more often than controls or those with atopic mucosal symptoms, although sick leave caused by skin problems lasted longer than sick leave caused by other circumstances. Atopic patients did not change their occupation because of their disease more often than the non-atopics. On the whole, changes in occupation were most common for patients without special education.