Abstract
Although previous studies have documented reasonably high rates of skin disease among nursing home staff, the prevalence among Korean workers is not well known. For this investigation we selected a large Korean nursing home and distributed a skin disease questionnaire to all staff. Questions included job title, job description, employment history, working hours, patient contact and the occurrence of skin disease over the past 12 months. Workers who reported a dermatological problem then underwent skin examinations conducted by specialist occupational physicians and a dermatologist. Contact dermatitis was the most common skin disease detected, with 4.8% of staff currently suffering from it and 6.0% reporting it in the previous 12-month period. Tinea pedis was another common condition, affecting 3.6% on our examination day. However, only two-thirds of them (2.4%) recounted a past history of tinea pedis. Scabies was diagnosed among 2.4% of staff and reported as a previous infection by 6.0%. Overall, the prevalence of dermatitis and scabies were quite low when compared to previous studies, while fungal infection rates were similar to other investigations. Further research into this growing occupational demographic is indicated.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 175-180 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine |
| Volume | 198 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2002 Nov 1 |
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Keywords
- Dermatitis
- Korea
- Nursing home staff
- Scabies
- Skin disease
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
Cite this
Skin disease among staff in a large Korean nursing home. / Smith, Derek Richard; Choi, Jae Wook; Yu, Dong Soo; Ki, Myung; Oh, Chun Hwa; Yamagata, Zentaro.
In: Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine, Vol. 198, No. 3, 01.11.2002, p. 175-180.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Skin disease among staff in a large Korean nursing home
AU - Smith, Derek Richard
AU - Choi, Jae Wook
AU - Yu, Dong Soo
AU - Ki, Myung
AU - Oh, Chun Hwa
AU - Yamagata, Zentaro
PY - 2002/11/1
Y1 - 2002/11/1
N2 - Although previous studies have documented reasonably high rates of skin disease among nursing home staff, the prevalence among Korean workers is not well known. For this investigation we selected a large Korean nursing home and distributed a skin disease questionnaire to all staff. Questions included job title, job description, employment history, working hours, patient contact and the occurrence of skin disease over the past 12 months. Workers who reported a dermatological problem then underwent skin examinations conducted by specialist occupational physicians and a dermatologist. Contact dermatitis was the most common skin disease detected, with 4.8% of staff currently suffering from it and 6.0% reporting it in the previous 12-month period. Tinea pedis was another common condition, affecting 3.6% on our examination day. However, only two-thirds of them (2.4%) recounted a past history of tinea pedis. Scabies was diagnosed among 2.4% of staff and reported as a previous infection by 6.0%. Overall, the prevalence of dermatitis and scabies were quite low when compared to previous studies, while fungal infection rates were similar to other investigations. Further research into this growing occupational demographic is indicated.
AB - Although previous studies have documented reasonably high rates of skin disease among nursing home staff, the prevalence among Korean workers is not well known. For this investigation we selected a large Korean nursing home and distributed a skin disease questionnaire to all staff. Questions included job title, job description, employment history, working hours, patient contact and the occurrence of skin disease over the past 12 months. Workers who reported a dermatological problem then underwent skin examinations conducted by specialist occupational physicians and a dermatologist. Contact dermatitis was the most common skin disease detected, with 4.8% of staff currently suffering from it and 6.0% reporting it in the previous 12-month period. Tinea pedis was another common condition, affecting 3.6% on our examination day. However, only two-thirds of them (2.4%) recounted a past history of tinea pedis. Scabies was diagnosed among 2.4% of staff and reported as a previous infection by 6.0%. Overall, the prevalence of dermatitis and scabies were quite low when compared to previous studies, while fungal infection rates were similar to other investigations. Further research into this growing occupational demographic is indicated.
KW - Dermatitis
KW - Korea
KW - Nursing home staff
KW - Scabies
KW - Skin disease
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=12244297762&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=12244297762&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1620/tjem.198.175
DO - 10.1620/tjem.198.175
M3 - Article
C2 - 12597244
AN - SCOPUS:12244297762
VL - 198
SP - 175
EP - 180
JO - Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine
JF - Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine
SN - 0040-8727
IS - 3
ER -