Epidemiology and Clinical features in Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis: A Study from Central India
Meghana Reddy, Namrata Chhabra, Anil Kumar GoelAbstract
Background:
There are very few studies conducted in India regarding the epidemiology and clinical presentation of pediatric atopic dermatitis (AD). It is essential to have more data, as pediatric AD is an emerging chronic skin disease in children with increasing prevalence.
Materials and Methods:
Our study was a cross-sectional analysis conducted in 200 pediatric patients aged 0–15 years diagnosed with AD according to the Hanifin and Rajka’s criteria over 1½ years in a tertiary care hospital in Chhattisgarh.
Results:
The predominant mild severity was seen in 69.5% of pediatric AD patients. Sixty-one per cent of patients had AD onset before 5 years of age, and 34.5% had AD onset before 1 year of age. Most of the patients had a chronic duration of AD for more than 1 year (64%). The various risk factors, such as residence in an urban area, family history of atopy, not being exclusively breastfed, and higher hygiene practices (frequent use of sanitizers), were more common in the moderate/severe AD group compared to the mild AD group. However, the difference was not statistically significant. Infantile-onset AD was more commonly associated with moderate-to-severe grade as compared to mild AD.
Conclusion:
Early age of onset, chronic presentation, and mild disease severity were common in our pediatric AD population. We identified infantile-onset AD as a risk factor for moderate-to-severe AD.