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: The aim of this study was to conduct 3 literature reviews to examine the impact of atopic dermatitis (AD) and chronic hand eczema (CHE) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) compared with other chronic conditions by comparing reported utility scores of 4 commonly used generic HRQoL instruments. A systematic search was performed using PubMed, ScienceDirect, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Health Technology Assessment database, and ScHARRHUD. Inclusion criteria included, but were not limited to, patients of any age, studies from any location, publications reporting utility data based on EuroQoL 5 dimensions, the EuroQoL 5-dimension Visual Analog Scale, the Short-Form Health Survey, and the Short-Form 6 Dimensions in the English language. Inclusion criteria were met by 16 articles for AD, 25 articles for chronic conditions, and 9 articles for CHE. The findings of this review highlight that the disutility and loss in HRQoL of patients with AD and CHE are similar to or higher than other chronic conditions, such as cancer or hepatitis.

Background: Lichen simplex chronicus (LSC) and chronic hand eczema (CHE) are 2 common dermatological disorders that affect physical, social, and psychological aspects of life. The aim of this study was to compare quality of life and obsessive-compulsive tendencies between patients with LSC and patients with CHE., Materials and Methods: Sixty patients with LSC, 60 patients with CHE, and 60 healthy controls were included in the study. Quality of life was evaluated according to the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Patients were also assessed for compulsive behavior with the Leyton Trait Scale., Results: Patients with LSC (13.00 [1.41]) had a statistically significant higher mean (SD) DLQI compared with patients with CHE (11.33 [1.53]). Patients with LSC (13.97 [2.14]) presented statistically significant higher levels of obsessive-compulsive personality traits than patients with CHE (12.48 [2.69]), whereas both groups also differed from the healthy controls (10.68 [3.87]). The DLQI was not correlated with the Leyton Trait Scale in either the patients with LSC (r = 0.10, P = 0.50, not significant [NS]) or in the CHE patients (r = 0.01, P = 0.92, NS)., Conclusions: Although both LSC and CHE are associated with impaired quality of life and obsessive-compulsive tendencies, significantly higher scores were recorded in patients with LSC.

Unlabelled: Chronic hand eczema (CHE) is a common disease that has a major impact on patients' health and on society., Aim: The purpose of this observational, open-label study was to assess the efficacy of treatment with 30 mg/d of oral alitretinoin on the quality of life (QoL) in a group of patients affected by CHE., Methods: This study included 15 patients, all suffering from severe CHE refractory to treatment with potent topical corticosteroids, who underwent treatment with 30 mg/d of alitretinoin for a period of 3 months. At the 1- and 3-month points, together with a clinical evaluation, the QoL of these patients were evaluated by the Dermatology Life Quality Index and visual analog scale (EQ5D-VAS)., Results: The oral administration of alitretinoin led to a notable QoL improvement among the patients, as shown by the statistically significant improvement in the Dermatology Life Quality Index and in the EQ5D-VAS after 1 and 3 months of therapy.