Worldwide prevalence rates and trends of eczema in youth

New research published in Clinical & Experimental Allergy indicates that the burden related to eczema in young individuals is substantial in most countries. A median of 6% of both children and adolescents experience some form of eczema while 0.6% and 1.1% of children and adolescents, respectively, report symptoms of severe eczema.

The results come from an analysis of data from 14 countries involving 74,361 adolescents aged 13–14 years and 47,907 children aged 6–7 years.

Investigators estimated an average increase over 27 years in the prevalence of current eczema symptoms of 0.98% per decade in adolescents and 1.21% per decade in children, and of 0.26% and 0.23% per decade in severe eczema symptoms. However, there was substantial variation in changes in eczema prevalence over time by income and region.

"Eczema remains a big public health problem around the world," said corresponding author Sinéad Langan, Ph.D., of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. "Global research efforts are needed to address the burden related to eczema with continued international efforts to identify strategies to prevent the onset of eczema and to better manage the impact on individuals, their families, and health service."