The prevalence of atopic dermatitis in aboriginal elementary schoolchildren in Kaohsiung and Pintung County -in comparison with that in nonaboriginal schoolchildren in Kaohsiung and Penghu County

Shen Lin Huang, Yi Chien Yang, Chih Sheng Lai, Wei Ming Wu, Yu Wen Cheng, Cheng Yu Wang*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Article peer-review

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is famed for its recurrent and chronic course following patients from early childhood into puberty. It is frequently associated with elevated IgE levels and a personal or family history of AD, allergic rhinitis and asthma. Complex interactions among genetic, environmental, pharmacological and immunological factors contribute to AD. Studies on the prevalence of AD have been done mostly in western countries, however, few related information in Taiwan has been acquired. Controversies in terms of the association between AD prevalence and the modernization or industrialization of the area or the country have been repeatedly debated in the literature. We conduct a survey of the AD prevalence in aboriginal schoolchildren in mountainous areas in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County. Sixteen elementary schools mainly composed of aboriginals were recruited. One thousand two hundred and forty one schoolchildren were all examined by dermatologists in March, April, September, and October, 2006. Twenty-five were diagnosed as having AD. The point-prevalence was 2.01%. We compared the result with that of previous study aiming at schoolchildren in major towns in Kaohsiung and Penghu County in 2004 and 2005. The prevalence of AD in aboriginal schoolchildren was significantly lower than that of schoolchildren in Penhu county (2.01% vs. 4.32%, p<0.01). However, no difference in prevalence was found between aboriginal schoolchildren and those in the major towns in Kaohsiung county (2.01% vs. 1.62%, p=0.341). Further studies are required to elucidate the association of AD prevalence among different areas and ethnic groups.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)179-185
Number of pages7
JournalDermatologica Sinica
Volume25
Issue number3
StatePublished - 09 2007

Keywords

  • Aboriginals
  • Atopic dermatitis
  • Prevalence
  • Schoolchildren

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