Age related risk factors associated with severity of atopic dermatitis in children

Abstract

Aim: Atopic dermatitis is a chronic, relapsing, and pruritic dermatitis, which generally develops in early childhood, and has a characteristic age-dependent distribution. To review age related risk factors associated with severity of atopic dermatitis in children. Material and Methods: The medical records of 206 pediatric patients with the diagnosis of atopic dermatitis between August 2015 and August 2017 were reviewed retrospectively. Results: The study included two hundred six patients who were diagnosed with atopic dermatitis (118 males, 88 females, median age: 20 months). The disease was found to have a more severe course in patients who were breastfed for less than six months, who were exposed to cigarette smoke, who had a food allergen and a history of atopy in the family (p<0.047, 0.046, 0.032, 0.012, respectively) in the 0-2 age group. The disease was found to have a more severe course in patients who had aeroallergen sensitivity, high serum total IgE level, who had eosinophilia, and low socioeconomic level (p<0.016, 0.023, 0.038, 0.032, respectively) in the patient older than 2 years old. Conclusion: While parental atopy and diet determine the severity of the disease in the early period of life, environmental factors have a more obvious role in later periods.