{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T12:10:27Z","timestamp":1790079027479,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"18","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789948800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"FAR 2024 FOMO-UNIMORE MESUR","award":["E93C24002000007"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["E93C24002000007"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["J. Clin. Med.","JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Occupational Contact Dermatitis (OCD) is one of the most common occupational diseases and represents a substantial clinical and socioeconomic burden. Despite its high prevalence, OCD is frequently underrecognised and underreported, limiting the effectiveness of occupational health surveillance and preventive strategies. This study aimed to investigate the extent of OCD underreporting in Italy by comparing official reporting data with incidence estimates derived from epidemiological data available in the scientific literature. Methods: Official data on dermatitis and eczema cases reported to the Italian National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work (INAIL) between 2020 and 2024 were analysed and compared with incidence estimates obtained through a systematic literature search of epidemiological studies, surveillance systems, and cohort studies conducted in high-risk occupational groups with available specific incidence data in the scientific literature, such as healthcare workers, construction workers, and hairdressers. Results: INAIL data showed an average of approximately 182 reported OCD cases per year during the study period. However, the estimates we calculated suggested a substantially higher disease burden, with an annual estimate ranging from 1439 cases to 21,412 cases. This implies that, depending on the incidence source used, only 0.8% to 12.7% of the expected cases are notified. Conclusions: OCD appears to be substantially underreported in Italy. Underrecognition of its occupational origin, the low severity often attributed to symptoms, and the limits of current surveillance systems likely contribute. Better occupational health surveillance, greater awareness among clinicians and workers, and simpler reporting procedures would improve case recognition and help prevent progression to chronic disease.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm15187330","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T11:09:35Z","timestamp":1790075375000},"page":"7330","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Occupational Contact Dermatitis in Italy: Bridging the Gap Between Estimated Incidence and Official Reporting Data"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-6923-867X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sara","family":"Scilli","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena & Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0850-5615","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alberto","family":"Modenese","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena & Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"21","DOI":"10.4103\/idoj.idoj_332_22","article-title":"Occupational Dermatoses","volume":"14","author":"Srinivas","year":"2023","journal-title":"Indian Dermatol. Online J."},{"key":"ref_2","first-page":"439","article-title":"Occupational Dermatitis and Urticaria","volume":"41","author":"Holness","year":"2021","journal-title":"Immunol. Allergy Clin."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"245","DOI":"10.1007\/s12016-021-08875-0","article-title":"Contact Dermatitis: Classifications and Management","volume":"61","author":"Li","year":"2021","journal-title":"Clin. Rev. Allergy Immunol."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"339","DOI":"10.1016\/j.det.2020.02.002","article-title":"Occupational Contact Dermatitis: Common Occupational Allergens","volume":"38","author":"Chu","year":"2020","journal-title":"Dermatol. Clin."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1285","DOI":"10.1111\/jdv.17096","article-title":"Incidence of Occupational Contact Dermatitis in Healthcare Workers: A Systematic Review","volume":"35","author":"Pesce","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Eur. Acad. Dermatol. Venereol."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5","DOI":"10.1111\/jdv.14315","article-title":"The Eastern European Experience on Occupational Skin Diseases. Make Underreporting an Issue?","volume":"31","author":"Moldovan","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. Eur. Acad. Dermatol. Venereol."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1000e107","DOI":"10.4172\/2155-9554.1000e107","article-title":"Occupational Dermatoses","volume":"7","author":"Sugiura","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. Clin. Exp. Dermatol. Res."},{"key":"ref_8","unstructured":"PuntoSicuro (2026, June 08). Inail: Quanto Sono Diffuse le Malattie della Pelle nel Mondo del Lavoro?. Available online: https:\/\/www.puntosicuro.it\/sorveglianza-sanitaria-malattie-professionali-C-60\/inail-quanto-sono-diffuse-le-malattie-della-pelle-nel-mondo-del-lavoro-AR-21128\/."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"398","DOI":"10.1093\/occmed\/kql039","article-title":"Incidence by Occupation and Industry of Work-Related Skin Diseases in the United Kingdom, 1996\u20132001","volume":"56","author":"McDonald","year":"2006","journal-title":"Occup. Med."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"496","DOI":"10.1007\/s004200050407","article-title":"The Epidemiology of Occupational Contact Dermatitis","volume":"72","author":"Diepgen","year":"1999","journal-title":"Int. Arch. Occup. Environ. Health"},{"key":"ref_11","unstructured":"(2026, June 17). THOR-UK Reporting Schemes. Available online: https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/thor\/thor-uk-reporting-schemes\/."},{"key":"ref_12","unstructured":"(2026, June 17). UK Standard Industrial Classification of Economic Activities\u2014Office for National Statistics, Available online: https:\/\/www.ons.gov.uk\/methodology\/classificationsandstandards\/ukstandardindustrialclassificationofeconomicactivities."},{"key":"ref_13","unstructured":"(2026, June 17). UNSD\u2014ISIC. Available online: https:\/\/unstats.un.org\/unsd\/classifications\/Econ\/ISIC.cshtml."},{"key":"ref_14","unstructured":"(2026, July 16). Classificazione Delle Attivit\u00e0 Economiche ATECO, Available online: https:\/\/www.istat.it\/classificazione\/classificazione-delle-attivita-economiche-ateco\/."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"331","DOI":"10.1007\/s00420-002-0418-1","article-title":"Occupational Skin-Disease Data in Europe","volume":"76","author":"Diepgen","year":"2003","journal-title":"Int. Arch. Occup. Environ. Health"},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"560","DOI":"10.1111\/bjd.15118","article-title":"Ten-Year Incidence of Contact Dermatitis in a Prospective Cohort of Healthcare Workers in Trieste Hospitals (North East of Italy) 2004\u20132013","volume":"177","author":"Plazzotta","year":"2017","journal-title":"Br. J. Dermatol."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"458","DOI":"10.1111\/cod.13687","article-title":"Characteristics and Incidence of Contact Dermatitis among Hairdressers in North-Eastern Italy","volume":"83","author":"Piapan","year":"2020","journal-title":"Contact Dermat."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"381","DOI":"10.1097\/DER.0000000000000552","article-title":"Contact Dermatitis in Construction Workers in Northeastern Italian Patch Test Database between 1996 and 2016","volume":"32","author":"Radillo","year":"2021","journal-title":"Dermatitis"},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"227","DOI":"10.1093\/occmed\/kqg139","article-title":"Incidence of Occupational Skin Conditions in a Food Manufacturing Company: Results of a Health Surveillance Programme","volume":"54","author":"Smith","year":"2004","journal-title":"Occup. Med."},{"key":"ref_20","first-page":"252","article-title":"[Incidence of occupational contact dermatitis in the province of Pordenone in the period of 1995\u20132000]","volume":"25","author":"Larese","year":"2003","journal-title":"G. Ital. Med. Lav. Ergon."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"72","DOI":"10.1136\/oem.2007.032466","article-title":"Knee Osteoarthritis: Influence of Work Involving Heavy Lifting, Kneeling, Climbing Stairs or Ladders, or Kneeling\/Squatting Combined with Heavy Lifting","volume":"65","author":"Jensen","year":"2008","journal-title":"Occup. Environ. Med."},{"key":"ref_22","first-page":"269","article-title":"Risk of Cataract in Health Care Workers Exposed to Ionizing Radiation: A Systematic Review","volume":"111","author":"Vecchia","year":"2020","journal-title":"Med. Lav."},{"key":"ref_23","unstructured":"(2026, June 17). Oracle Analytics Interactive Dashboards\u2014Panoramica. Available online: https:\/\/bancadatistatisticaoas.inail.it\/analytics\/saw.dll?Dashboard."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"38","DOI":"10.1038\/s41572-021-00271-4","article-title":"Contact Dermatitis","volume":"7","author":"Scheinman","year":"2021","journal-title":"Nat. Rev. Dis. Primer"},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"31","DOI":"10.1111\/jdv.14319","article-title":"Minimum Standards on Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Occupational and Work-Related Skin Diseases in Europe\u2014Position Paper of the COST Action StanDerm (TD 1206)","volume":"31","author":"Alfonso","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. Eur. Acad. Dermatol. Venereol."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"166","DOI":"10.1034\/j.1600-0536.2001.044003166.x","article-title":"Incidence of Work-Related Hand Eczema during Apprenticeship: First Results of a Prospective Cohort Study in the Car Industry","volume":"44","author":"Funke","year":"2001","journal-title":"Contact Dermat."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"357","DOI":"10.1111\/cod.14035","article-title":"Guidelines for Diagnosis, Prevention, and Treatment of Hand Eczema","volume":"86","author":"Thyssen","year":"2022","journal-title":"Contact Dermat."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"91","DOI":"10.7175\/pmeal.v2i2.390","article-title":"Dermatologia in Ambito Lavorativo","volume":"2","author":"Cirfera","year":"2008","journal-title":"Prat. Medica Aspetti Leg."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"201","DOI":"10.1007\/s11882-023-01070-5","article-title":"Occupational Hand Dermatitis","volume":"23","author":"Karagounis","year":"2023","journal-title":"Curr. Allergy Asthma Rep."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"254","DOI":"10.1111\/cod.14048","article-title":"Prevalence and Incidence of Hand Eczema in Hairdressers\u2014A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Published Literature from 2000\u20132021","volume":"86","author":"Havmose","year":"2022","journal-title":"Contact Dermat."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"309","DOI":"10.1007\/s00420-025-02135-w","article-title":"Psychosocial Work Exposures as Risk Factors for Skin Problems in a General Working Population: Cross-Sectional and Prospective Associations","volume":"98","author":"Borge","year":"2025","journal-title":"Int. Arch. Occup. Environ. Health"},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2068","DOI":"10.1111\/jdv.15768","article-title":"Skin Cancer in Outdoor Workers Exposed to Solar Radiation: A Largely Underreported Occupational Disease in Italy","volume":"33","author":"Gobba","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Eur. Acad. Dermatol. Venereol."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"165","DOI":"10.1080\/19338244.2019.1594663","article-title":"Physicians\u2019 Opinions about the Causes of Underreporting of Occupational Diseases","volume":"75","author":"Alaguney","year":"2020","journal-title":"Arch. Environ. Occup. Health"},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"492","DOI":"10.1111\/cod.14209","article-title":"Incidence of Skin Diseases in Healthcare Workers before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic at Trieste Hospitals (Northeastern Italy)","volume":"87","author":"Piapan","year":"2022","journal-title":"Contact Dermat."}],"container-title":["Journal of Clinical Medicine"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2077-0383\/15\/18\/7330\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T11:36:18Z","timestamp":1790076978000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2077-0383\/15\/18\/7330"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]]},"references-count":34,"journal-issue":{"issue":"18","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9]]}},"alternative-id":["jcm15187330"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/jcm15187330","relation":{},"ISSN":["2077-0383"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2077-0383","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]]}}}