Study Looks at Most Common Occupations Associated With ACD

06/12/2023

TOPLINE:

Manufacturing was one of the top four occupations reported in insurance claims for ACD diagnoses, in a retrospective analysis of 2019 data.

METHODOLOGY:

The analysis used Truven Health Analytics Marketscan insurance claim data of 168,390 patients with allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) in 2019 covered by commercial insurance.
Patient demographics, occupation listed with the claim, and allergen exposure were identified.

TAKEAWAY:

Manufacturing accounted for almost 34% of all patient claims, most involving exposure to metals, adhesives, cosmetics, drugs, dyes, food, and plants; “services” occupations accounted for about 24% of all claims, most involving exposure to metals, adhesives, cosmetics, drugs, dyes, other chemicals, food, and plants.
Finance / insurance / real estate (most involving exposure to metals, adhesives, cosmetics, drugs, and other chemicals) and transportation / communications / utilities (involving exposure to dyes, other chemicals, food, and plants) each accounted for about 17% of all claims.
Mean age at diagnosis was 38 years, 60% were female, and the 18-34 age group had the greatest number of claims for most allergens (23.2%).
Diagnoses were most often made by dermatologists (31%) followed by family medicine clinicians (24%).

IN PRACTICE:

The results are “important as identifying common occupations can improve preventative care and management of ACD,” the authors wrote.

STUDY DETAILS:

The study, led by Isha Joshi, MBA, a medical student at Penn State College of Medicine, and colleagues at Penn State and New York University, was published this month in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

LIMITATIONS:

Lack of data on uninsured, Medicaid, and Medicare patients; lack of occupation details on 41% of claims; lack of information on contact urticaria and patch test results; and possible nonoccupational exposure to allergens may have affected the results

DISCLOSURES:

The authors declared no relevant financial relationships. The study was not funded.

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