Time Trends in the Prevalence of Atopic Dermatitis in Korean Children According to Age

Abstract

This study aimed to explore time trends in the prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD) according to age in Korean children. We observed changes in the estimated annual prevalence of AD using data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) and Statistics Korea between 2003 and 2018. In each year, the highest prevalence was evident among children aged 12 to 23 months, and then the prevalence decreased with age. The annual prevalence of AD in Korean children under the age of 18 slightly increased from 4.0% in 2003 to 4.5% in 2018. During this period, the prevalence in children aged 6 to 18 years increased from 1.9% in 2003 to 3.1% in 2018, while that of infants aged less than 24 months substantially decreased. Among children who were born in 1991, 1997, 2000, 2003 and 2006, the slopes of decreasing trend lines over age 6 were similar. Comparing children born in 2009 and 2012 with those born before 2006, the more recent the birth year, the higher the prevalence of AD over age 6. In conclusion, time trends of the annual prevalence of AD in Korean children from 2003 through 2018 were different according to age group. These results suggest that AD development during infancy is decreasing whereas either a late-onset AD or early-onset, persistent phenotype is likely to increase. Different strategies according to age are required for more effective prevention and treatment of AD in Korean children.

Trends (2007–2019) of major atopic diseases throughout the life span in a large Mexican population

“…In the last few years, a number of reports from several countries have evaluated the time trends of major atopic diseases by analyzing at least 3 different time-points. 36 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 As can be seen in the Supplementary Fig. 4 , in general terms their results are in agreement with ours in the sense that the frequency of these diseases appear to be decreasing in recent years.…”

Changes in the Mean and Variance of the Numbers of Medical Visits for Allergic Diseases before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Korea

“…However, in the pediatric subgroup, the mean and variance in the monthly number of patients treated for AD demonstrated no significant difference before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a previous study showing time trends in the prevalence of AD in Korean children under the age of 18, the prevalence of AD has been on decreasing trends since 2008 [ 22 ]. Therefore, it is considered mixing effects of decreasing trends of prevalence of AD and adverse dermatologic effects in pediatric population.…”

Prevalence of Pediatric Autism Spectrum Disorder in Korea Using National Statistics Including the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2011 to 2021

“…Statistical values such as P values or confidence intervals were not needed, as this study evaluated the entire population of Korea, not randomly selected samples [8].…”

“…Estimating the prevalence rate using NHIS data avoids selection bias because the NHIS data are drawn from the entire population. This method also has the advantage of saving time, cost, and effort compared to conducting direct examinations or using a questionnaire [8].…”