Skin lesions predict atopic dermatitis

Eczema at the arms and joints are the early skin lesions that are the most predictive of atopic dermatitis in young children. Eczema, or atopic dermatitis, indicates a hypersensitivity to something in the environment and may occur together with symptoms of asthma or hay fever. The condition is usually genetic, and may also be particularly severe during the winter months. The itchy, painful condition can affect just about any area of the body. Researchers from the Copenhagen University Hospital, Germany, did a study with 411 infants who were born to mothers with a history of asthma. During follow-up until 3 years of age, the subjects were seen every 6 months and whenever any skin symptoms presented. Fifty-five subjects had incomplete follow-up and were not included in all of the analyses. It was found that forty-four percent of the children had developed atopic dermatitis by 3 years of age. Disease occurrence peaked at 2 years of age in boys and at 2.5 years in girls, but no other gender-based differences were noted. Atopic dermatitis in young children typically started in the scalp, forehead, ear, and neck, before moving on to the trunk and extremities. As noted, the best predictors of atopic dermatitis were early skin lesions of the arms and joints. Hence, skin lesions help in the early diagnosis of atopic dermatitis in infancy and allow studies examining the early intervention and prevention strategies.