Clinical Characteristics of Atopic Dermatitis in Korean School-Aged Children and Adolescents According to Onset Age and Severity
You Hoon Jeon, Kangmo Ahn, Jihyun Kim, Meeyong Shin, Soo‐Jong Hong, So‐Yeon Lee, Bok Yang Pyun, Taek Ki Min, Minyoung Jung, Jeongmin Lee, Tae Won Song, Hye‐Young Kim, Sooyoung Lee, Kyunguk Jeong, Yoonha Hwang, Minji Kim, Yong Ju Lee, Min Jung Kim, Ji Young Lee, Hye Yung Yum, Gwang Cheon Jang, Young A Park, Jeong Hee Kim
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a heterogeneous disease with different age of onset, disease course, clinical symptoms, severity, and risk of comorbidity. The characteristics of children with AD also vary by age or country. However, little is known about the clinical characteristics of AD in Korean school-aged children and adolescents. Furthermore, there are few studies on phenotypic differences according to onset age. This study aimed to explore the clinical characteristics and phenotypes according to onset age and severity of AD in children and adolescents in Korea. METHODS: AD patients aged 6-18 years who presented to 18 hospitals nationwide were surveyed. The patients were examined for disease severity by pediatric allergy specialists, and data on history of other allergic diseases, familial allergy history, onset age, trigger factors, lesion sites, treatment history and quality of life were collected. The results of the patient's allergy test were also analyzed. The patients were classified into infancy-onset (< 2 years of age), preschool-onset (2-5 years of age), and childhood-onset (≥ 6 years of age) groups. Study population was analyzed for clinical features according to onset-age groups and severity groups. RESULTS: = 0.038). Systemic immunosuppressants were used in only 9.6% of the patients in the severe group. CONCLUSION: This study analyzed the clinical features of AD in Korean children and adolescents through a multicenter nationwide study and demonstrated the phenotypic differences according to onset age and severity. Considering the findings that the early-onset group is more severe and accompanied by more systemic allergic diseases, early management should be emphasized in young children and infants.