New Survey By LEO Pharma and Ipsos Highlights Diagnostic, Treatment Gaps in Chronic Hand Eczema

A new survey commissioned by LEO Pharma Inc. and conducted by Ipsos sheds light on significant gaps in awareness, diagnosis, and treatment of chronic hand eczema (CHE).¹

According to the findings, 65% of surveyed dermatology providers believe CHE is inadequately understood as a condition distinct from atopic dermatitis (AD), highlighting an urgent need for better education and management strategies.

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With an estimated 15.9 million individuals in the US affected by CHE,¹ recent large-scale studies, including the CHECK and RWEAL studies, reinforce the significant prevalence and burden of CHE, with findings showing that 5.6% of adults self-reported CHE in the past year, and 4.7% received a physician diagnosis.² Additionally, 1 in 4 patients with moderate to severe disease required escalation from topical corticosteroids to systemic therapy or phototherapy, highlighting the persistent treatment challenges.³

Despite its prevalence and impact on quality of life, there are currently no FDA-approved treatments specifically for moderate-to-severe CHE, posing challenges for both patients and clinicians.¹

Key Findings from the Survey

The survey gathered insights from 100 dermatologists and 92 nurse practitioners or physician assistants specializing in dermatology. Findings revealed:

• Unmet Treatment Needs: 51% of respondents agree that existing therapies approved for moderate to severe AD do not adequately address moderate to severe CHE.
• Management Frustrations: Nearly two-thirds of surveyed clinicians consider CHE more difficult to manage than other chronic dermatologic conditions such as psoriasis.
• High Health Care Utilization: A majority (62%) report that their moderate to severe CHE patients require 3 to 4 office visits annually, while 27% indicate that their patients need 5 to 6 visits per year.
• Polypharmacy and Poor Adherence: On average, CHE patients require 3 to 4 different medications, yet 24% of providers estimate that up to half of their CHE patients struggle with adherence to prescribed treatments.

Challenges in CHE Diagnosis and Management

Unlike AD, which often has an allergic component, CHE can stem from irritant exposure, allergens, genetic predisposition, or a combination of these factors.

Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD, MSCI, clinical associate professor at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science Chicago Medical School and a Dermatology Times Editorial Advisory Board member, emphasized the need for a tailored, patient-specific approach to CHE.

“Chronic hand eczema, or CHE, is not atopic dermatitis. Rather, it is a diagnostic term that refers to a collection of heterogeneous cutaneous signs and symptoms driven by a combination of etiologies, which includes not only atopic dermatitis but also irritant, allergic, and protein contact dermatitis,” Chovatiya told Dermatology Times. “Furthermore, CHE manifests as a result of inflammatory dysregulation across multiple underlying immunologic pathways, which highlights a key treatment gap in this disease space. Current therapies are either too broad and associated with adverse events related to chronic use (like topical corticosteroids), or are targeted for only one of the potential etiologic subtypes of CHE (like topical and systemic therapies approved for atopic dermatitis). The optimal CHE therapy would be topical (i.e., convenient for patients), appropriately targeted across multiple T-cell mediated immune pathways, and supported by well-studied safety and efficacy.”

Addressing the Knowledge Gap: AAD Symposium and Future Research

To bridge the educational divide, LEO Pharma is hosting a symposium titled “Chronic Hand Eczema: A New Day is at Hand” at the Hyatt Regency Orlando on March 6, ahead of this week's American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting. The event aims to advance clinical understanding of CHE and provide insights into ongoing research and future treatment possibilities.

Robert Spurr, EVP and president of Region North America at LEO Pharma, underscored the company’s commitment to improving dermatologic care.

“With such a considerable gap in knowledge, and an unmet need for patients living with CHE, we hope this survey and the educational opportunities we are offering at AAD will drive increased awareness of the condition among healthcare providers,” Spurr said in a news release.¹ “It’s only through better understanding of this complex disease that we can help improve the standard of care in medical dermatology and ultimately improve patients’ quality of life.”

The second phase of the Ipsos survey, scheduled for release in Q2 2025, will further explore the burden of CHE on patients’ daily lives, particularly its impact on work and home environments. Early data indicate that 96% of surveyed US dermatology providers believe moderate to severe CHE significantly affects patients' professional and personal responsibilities.

References

1. LEO Pharma survey: Dermatology providers say chronic hand eczema is widely misunderstood and inadequately managed. BioSpace. March 5, 2025. Accessed March 4, 2025. https://www.biospace.com/press-releases/leo-pharma-survey-dermatology-providers-say-chronic-hand-eczema-is-widely-misunderstood-and-inadequately-managed
2. Apfelbacher C, Bewley A, Molin S, et al. Prevalence of Chronic Hand Eczema in adults: A cross-sectional multi-national study of 60,000 respondents in the general population. Presented at the 2024 European Society of Contact Dermatitis (ESCD) congress; September 04-07 2024; Dresden, Germany. Poster presentation #3
3. Gimenez-Arnau AM, Bewley A, Apfelbacher C, et al. Physician-reported treatment patterns in Chronic Hand Eczema – results from the multinational RWEAL medical chart review. Presented at the 2024 European Society of Contact Dermatitis (ESCD) congress; September 04-07 2024; Dresden, Germany. Poster presentation #27