Prevalence of Atopic Dermatitis in Korean Children Based on Data From the 2008-2011 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Abstract

Population-based studies of atopic dermatitis (AD) in Korean children are lacking. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence, geographic distribution, and risk factors of AD in the Korean pediatric population. We examined AD prevalence using data from the 2008-2011 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), which was a cross-sectional survey of 8,947 children up to age 18 throughout the country. Overall, 13.50% of children reported a diagnosis of AD. The age-standardized prevalence ranged from 9.13% to 17.67% between cities and provinces, with the highest prevalence-observed in many of the larger cities at low latitudes, as well as Jeju-do. After adjusting for confounders, high economic status was found to be a significant factor for predicting increased prevalence of AD, with an odds ratio of 1.35 (95% confidence interval of 1.02-1.79, P=0.0034). Urban living (odds ratio 1.24, 95% confidence interval of 1.00-1.53, P=0.0526) was also associated with a higher prevalence of AD. In this first large scale, nationwide study in Korean children, we found that the overall prevalence of AD depends on age, household income, and geographic distribution.

Associations between prevalence of adult atopic dermatitis and occupational characteristics

“…Our results indicate that adults with lower income are more likely to currently suffer from atopic dermatitis. This differs from previous research indicating that people with higher socioeconomic status are more likely to suffer from atopic dermatitis (Kim et al, ; Lee, Han, Kim, Park, & Park, ; Peters et al, ). The difference might be attributable to the fact that we focused on individuals who were currently suffering from the disease among those with an actual diagnosis.…”

Suppression of DNCB-Induced Atopic Skin Lesions in Mice by Wikstroemia indica Extract

“…Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, relapsing inflammatory disease that is accompanied by representative symptoms, such as itching, redness, dry skin, and exudate. According to the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2016), the prevalence of AD in Korean adolescents was 25.1% [1]. In reality, children and adolescents account for more than half of AD patients, though in recent years, the proportion of adult AD patients has increased [2,3].…”

A Metagenomic Analysis Provides a Culture-Independent Pathogen Detection for Atopic Dermatitis

“…Skin barrier dysfunction, allergic or microbial skin colonization, and decreased innate immune responses are considered significant causes for AD 34. The prevalence of AD is increasing in developed countries, with incidence rates reaching up to 30% in children and up to 10% in adults 567. The skin microbiome has also been implicated in the pathogenesis of AD.…”