J Korean Med Sci.  2010 Dec;25(12):1828-1830. 10.3346/jkms.2010.25.12.1828.

Prevalence of Atopic Dermatitis among Korean Adults Visiting Health Service Center of the Catholic Medical Center in Seoul Metropolitan Area, Korea

• Kim MJ
• Kang TW
• Cho EA
• Kim HS
• Min JA
• Park H
• Kim JW
• Cha SH
• Lee YB
• Cho SH
• Kim SJ
• Kim JE
• Park HJ
• Choi MJ
• Kang MJ
• Lee KH
• Choi KH
• Kim KM
• Kim DJ
• Park YM

• KMID: 1792914
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2010.25.12.1828

Abstract

The point prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD) among Korean adults visiting the Health Service Center for health check-ups was assessed. AD was diagnosed based on the questionnaires filled by patients and through physical examination by dermatologists. A total of 3,563 persons completed the questionnaires, and 2,032 persons were examined by the dermatologists. According to the questionnaires, the prevalence of AD was 7.1%, and from the dermatologists' examination, it was 2.6% overall, which decreased with age significantly. The prevalence in men was higher than that of women. Grading the severity of AD according to their eczema area and severity index scores, 70.6% were classified as being mild, 25.5% moderate, and 3.9% severe. Interestingly, concomitance of psoriasis and AD was found in 0.5% of those examined by the dermatologists. Our results suggest that AD is one of the most common skin diseases not only in children but also in adults in Korea.

Keyword

Adult; Dermatitis, Atopic; Hanifin and Rajka criteria; Prevalence; Physical Examination; Psoriasis; Questionnaires; Severity

MeSH Terms

Adult
Age Factors
Aged
Dermatitis, Atopic/complications/diagnosis/*epidemiology
Female
Hospitals, University
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Prevalence
Psoriasis/complications
Questionnaires
Republic of Korea/epidemiology
Severity of Illness Index
Sex Factors

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