Epidemiologic features and burden of atopic dermatitis in adolescent and adult patients: A cross-sectional multicenter study

Abstract

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is considered as one of the most frequent chronic skin conditions. Previous AD epidemiologic studies have been mainly retrospective and/or have been performed through surveys instead of in-person visits. Epidemiological studies concerning AD in Latin American countries are scarce.Objective: To describe sociodemographic and clinical features and the economic burden of AD on children and adult patients in Colombia through in-person visits.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 212 patients that included sociodemographic and clinimetric data. The diagnostic criteria of Hanifin and Rajka was used and data relating to disease distribution, disease severity (through the BSA: Body surface area; EASI: Eczema Area and Severity Index; SCORAD: Scoring Atopic Dermatitis), Fitzpatrick's skin phototypes, personal and familiar history of allergic diseases, previous treatments, and personal history of comorbidities, was collected.Results: Patient age range was 12-76, and 52.8% were female. Disease distribution was mainly flexural (19.6%). Early age start, Denni-Morgan fold, and infections tendency were more frequent in adolescents compared to adults. Mean age of diagnosis was 12 years old, AD diagnosis was made mostly by a dermatologist, 48.1% (102 patients) reported alcohol consumption, and 59% of consumers were heavy drinkers. Comorbidities found were: chronic rhinitis (68.9%) food allergy (32.5%), allergic conjunctivitis (29.7%), and asthma (28.8%). Around 81% earned less than $896 US dollars and 59% invested 6-30% of their monthly budget yearly, and 40% had work or school absenteeism. Mean scores of BSA, EASI, and SCORAD involvement were 32.6, 13.7, and 42.4, respectively.

Factors associated with severity of atopic dermatitis – a Finnish cross‐sectional study

“…Prevalence of atopic diseases varies between populations, for example, Sanclemente et al . reported in a comparable cross‐sectional study from Colombia a substantially lower prevalence in AD patients (chronic rhinitis 68.9%, allergic conjunctivitis 29.7%, asthma 28.8%) 39 …”

“…38 Prevalence of atopic diseases varies between populations, for example, Sanclemente et al reported in a comparable cross-sectional study from Colombia a substantially lower prevalence in AD patients (chronic rhinitis 68.9%, allergic conjunctivitis 29.7%, asthma 28.8%). 39 There were more severe AD patients with hand dermatitis (82.1%), palmar hyperlinearity (41.8%) and contact allergies (25.7%), which seem to be linked to a more severe disease in Finnish patients. Palmar hyperlinearity has been linked to FLG mutations and possible markers of AD severity.…”

“…reported in a comparable cross‐sectional study from Colombia a substantially lower prevalence in AD patients (chronic rhinitis 68.9%, allergic conjunctivitis 29.7%, asthma 28.8%). 39 …”

Atopic Dermatitis in Latin America: Considerations on Epidemiology, Clinical and Laboratory Features, Ethnic/Racial Variations, and Therapeutic Management

“…In a cohort of 1,650 Argentinian patients with AD, 40% experienced high itch intensity and frequency, and 96% reported bleeding and suppuration [24]. A cross-sectional study in Colombia found that disease distribution was mostly flexural and combined with either eyelid dermatitis, hand eczema, or cheilitis, and that most patients suffered from moderate disease when evaluated using body surface area (BSA) and eczema area and severity index (EASI) score [25]. In a recently published abstract, results from a study evaluating the burden of AD in Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina found that severe pruritus (Worst Pruritus NRS > 7) was reported by 54.4% of patients and with effect on the quality of life close to 50% of the 180 evaluated patients [26].…”

Multimorbidity of Allergic Conditions in Urban Citizens of Southern China: A Real-World Cross-Sectional Study

“…Over the past few decades, with the acceleration of industrialization, increase in environmental pollution, changes in lifestyle and dietary structure, and continuous increase in allergen exposure, allergy diseases affect 30–40% of the global population and cause a major disease burden worldwide [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ], with an estimated 300 million patients with bronchial asthma (AS), 400 million patients with allergic rhinitis (AR), 200 million to 250 million patients with food allergy (FA), 150 million patients with drug allergy (DA), and numerous patients with allergic conjunctivitis (AC), angioneurotic edema, urticaria, eczema, eosinophilic diseases, insect allergy, and anaphylactic shock [ 5 ]. Concomitantly, allergy is listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the 6 major chronic diseases in the 21st century.…”