Chronic Hand Eczema: A Practical Q&A with the EADV Contact Dermatitis Task Force

Synopsis:

In this episode of the EADV Podcast, Dr. Efthymia Soura is joined by Prof. Margarida Gonçalo, Secretary General of the EADV and Head of the Department of Dermatology at the University Hospital of Coimbra, to discuss the Contact Dermatitis Task Force's new paper on chronic hand eczema, written in an accessible question-and-answer format. They cover what defines chronic hand eczema, how to distinguish it from look-alikes such as tinea and psoriasis, and why it functions as an umbrella term covering atopic, irritant and allergic subtypes that often overlap in the same patient.

Prof. Gonçalo explains why patch testing (and, where relevant, prick testing) is essential to identify and avoid triggers, and why the different subtypes share a similar molecular signature despite their diverse underlying causes, a finding that for now limits treatment to a largely one-size-fits-all approach. The conversation also addresses the heavy toll chronic hand eczema takes on patients' quality of life, the promise of new topical pan-JAK inhibitors as a possible alternative to steroids, and hope for more personalised, mechanism-based treatments in the future.

 

References:

Chronic Hand Eczema: Common Questions and Practical Recommendations from the EADV Contact Dermatitis Task Force (2026) Balato A, Tancredi V, Aerts O, et al. Chronic hand eczema: common questions and practical recommendations from the EADV Contact Dermatitis Task Force. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2026;40(4):583-596. doi:10.1111/jdv.70068. 🔗 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jdv.70068