Occupational Dermatoses among the Silk Workers

Pilot study was conducted among the workers of a silk filature prior to undertaking a study on the efficacy of barrier creams in preventing the dermatoses. Commonest occupational dermatoses noticed were maceration (68%), nicked nails (61%), pitted keratolysis (38%), fissuring (31%) and erosion (22.7%). Our findings were consistent with the earlier studies. However, ichthyosis reported earlier was not observed. The study was undertaken during summer and hence we conclude that ichtyosis is possibly due to seasonal variation and may not be related to hereditary factors as was postulated.