The Prevalence and Clinical Features of Skin Irritation Caused by Infection Prevention Measures During COVID-19 in the Mecca Region, Saudi Arabia

Figures & data

Table 1 Demographic Characteristics of Participants N (%)

Characteristics		N (%)
Gender	Male	88 (11.2)
	Female	695 (88.8)
	20–30	402 (51.3)
Age	31–40	149 (19.0)
	41–50	102 (13.0)
	More than 50	73 (9.3)
	Less than 20	57 (7.3)
	Married	352 (45.0)
Marital Status	Divorced or widow	21 (2.7)
	Single	410 (52.4)
Nationality	Saudi	752 (96.0)
	Non-Saudi	31 (4.0)
Smoking	Smoker	92 (11.7)
	Non-smoker	691 (88.3)
	Health care worker	104 (13.3)
	Student	260 (33.2)
Current occupation	Office worker	66 (8.2)
	Teaching and education	111 (14.2)
	Salesperson and customer service	4 (0.5)
	Not working currently	205 (26.2)
	Other	33 (4.2)
How often do you go out? (With exclusion to your job-if currently working)	Rarely (1–2) times per week	497 (63.5)
	Sometimes (3–6) times per week	204 (26.1)
	Usually (>6) times per week	82 (10.5)
Do you have history of atopy-related diseases?	Yes	270 (34.5)
	No	513 (65.5)
If yes, please specify	Eczema	136 (38.6)
	Allergic rhinitis	151 (42.9)
	Asthma	47 (13.4)
	Others	18 (5.1)
Has anyone in your family been diagnosed with atopy-related diseases?	Yes	503 (64.2)
	No	212 (27.1)
	Do not know	68 (8.7)
If yes, please specify	Eczema	301 (37.8)
	Allergic rhinitis	258 (32.4)
	Asthma	229 (28.8)
	Others	8 (1.0)

Table 2 History of Hand Eczema Among Participants N (%)

History of Hand Eczema
Ever reported hand eczema	Yes	123 (15.7)
	No	660 (84.3)
Have you been diagnosed by a dermatologist?	Yes	105 (85.4)
	No	18(14.6)
Are you been followed up by a dermatologist?	Yes	97 (78.9)
	No	26 (21.1)
Have you been prescribed medication for your hand eczema?	Yes	104 (84.6)
	No	19 (15.4)
Are you using these medications?	Regularly	21 (17.1)
	Not using them	25 (20.3)
	Occasionally	77 (62.6)
Does your hand eczema improve when you are away from work?	Yes	33 (26.8)
	No	33 (26.8)
	Do not know	57 (46.3)
Materials reported to aggravate your existing hand eczema	Cleaning detergents chemicals	88 (33.7)
	soap	76 (29.1)
	Oils, industrial lubricants, foods, and plants	27 (10.3)
	Solvents and paint	25 (9.6)
	Water	22 (8.4)
	Animals	15 (5.7)
	Other	8 (3.1)
Worsening of symptoms associated with hand eczema during the pandemic N (%) (For people with past or current history of hand eczema)
If you had hand eczema before: After the onset of the pandemic, did you notice worsening of your symptoms?	Yes	81 (31.3)
	No	178 (68.7)
What symptoms/signs did you notice that got worse?	Dryness or tightness	73 (30.4)
	Itching	65 (27.1)
	Scaling or fissures	39 (16.3)
	Erythema	45 (18.8)
	Burning or pain	14 (5.8)
	Tenderness	4 (1.7)
Please choose the listed skin lesion which best match your skin damage	Desquamation	52 (30.1)
	Fissure	32 (18.5)
	Erythema	54 (31.2)
	Erosion or Ulcer	20 (11.6)
	Papule	11 (6.4)
	Maceration	3 (1.7)
	Other	1 (0.6)

Table 3 New-Onset Symptoms Associated with Hand Eczema During the Pandemic N (%) (for People with No History of Hand Eczema)

After the onset of the pandemic, have you noticed newly developed obvious skin damage?	Yes	86 (13.0)
	No	524 (79.4)
	I am not sure	50 (7.6)
What symptoms/signs did you develop?	Dryness or tightness	104 (30.7)
	Scaling or fissures	79 (23.3)
	Itching	71 (20.9)
	Erythema	65 (19.2)
	Tenderness	13 (3.8)
	Burning or pain	7 (2.1)
Please choose the listed skin lesion which best match your skin damage:	Burning or pain	7 (3.0)
	Desquamation	87 (36.7)
	Erosion or Ulcer	19 (8.0)
	Erythema	70 (29.5)
	Fissure	36 (15.2)
	Papule	12 (5.1)
	Other	6 (2.5)

Table 4 Comparison Between Handwashing, Disinfection and Moisturization, and Rubber Glove Use Before and During Pandemic

Daily Frequency of Handwashing, Disinfection and Moisturization, and Rubber Glove		Before COVID-19	During COVID-19	Sig*
Daily frequency of handwashing with soap	< 5 times	44.6%	20.3%	0.001
	5–10 times	43.9%	45.3%
	10–20 times	8.9%	24.6%
	> 20 times	2.6%	9.7%
Daily frequency of hand disinfection	< 5 times	87.4%	33.7%	0.001
	5–10 times	9.1%	36.7%
	10–20 times	2.2%	20.6%
	> 20 times	1.4%	9.1%
Daily frequency of hand moisturizing (cream or Vaseline)	< 5 times	61.0%	41.1%	0.001
	5–10 times	27.6%	34.2%
	10–20 times	8.9%	17.2%
	> 20 times	2.4%	7.4%
Rubber glove use	< 1 per day	24.6%	12.5%	0.001
	< 1 per week	58.1%	25.7%
	3–4 times per a week	11.1%	33.8%
	> 4 times per a week	6.3%	28.0%

Note: *p-value for McNemar’s test.

Table 5 New-Onset Symptoms of Skin Damage Associated with Washing Hands and Using Disinfectants

Washing Hands and Using Disinfectants		After the Onset of the Pandemic, Have you Noticed Newly Developed Obvious Skin Damage? N (%)			Sig*.
		Yes	No	I am not sure
Daily frequency of handwashing with soap	Less than 5	11 (12.8)	115 (21.9)	11 (22.0)	0.001
	From 5 to 10 per day	29 (33.7)	258 (49.2)	20 (40.0)
	From 11 to 20	28 (32.6)	114 (21.8)	12 (24.0)
	More than 20	18 (20.9)	37 (7.1)	7 (14.0)
Total		86 (100)	524 (100)	50 (100)
Daily frequency of hand disinfection	Less than 5 times	22 (25.6)	189 (36.1)	15 (30.0)	0.003
	5–10 times	28 (32.6)	195 (37.2)	17 (34.0)
	11–20 times	20 (23.3)	109 (20.8)	11 (22.0)
	More than 20 times	16 (18.6)	31 (5.9)	7 (14.0)
Total		86 (100)	524 (100)	50 (100)

Note: *p-value for chi-square test.