Epidemiology of eczema in South-Eastern Australia

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Eczema is a common chronic debilitating skin condition in childhood. Data on the epidemiology and natural history of eczema across the life course are lacking. This analysis aimed to describe these epidemiological features in Australian children and adults. Methods: Data collected on eczema from four Australian cohort studies were analysed: namely HealthNuts, Melbourne Atopic Cohort Study (MACS), Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study (TAHS) and the Australian arm of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS). Results: Among children aged under 6 years, 28.8%–35.6% have ever-had eczema, and 16.7%–26.6% had ‘current eczema’. Among those aged 6–12 years, 14.6%–24.7% had ‘current eczema’ with 12.0%–18.5% of those at ages of 6 and 10 years classified as having moderate-to-severe eczema according to the Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index. In adults, the prevalence of ‘eczema ever’ ranged between 13.8% and 48.4%. The 12-month period prevalence of eczema was 15.1% at age 18, while current eczema was 8.5% at an average age of 51, and 8.8% at an average age 53 years. Eczema was more common among young boys, but this difference became non-significant for older children and early adolescents. In contrast, eczema was more common for adult women than men. Conclusions: Eczema is common both in children and adults. The proportion of severe eczema in children was substantial.