Predictors of Early Remission in Atopic Dermatitis

Dr. von Kobyletzky and colleagues publish in this issue of Acta Dermato-Venereologica (p. 179–184) an interesting study saying that among 839 children with atopic dermatitis aged 1–3 years, 52% went into remission when studied 5 years later. This is good news for parents of a child with mild eczema; there is a high probability that he/she will only have symptoms for approximately 3–5 years.

The predictors for early remission were: a) mildness of eczema, b) late onset, c) non-flexural lesions, d) no heredity, e) no allergic disease, f) rural living.

The non-predictors for early remission were: a) birth order, b) gender, c) parental smoking, d) breast feeding, e) antibiotic use, f) day-care attendance, g) bedroom flooring with PVC coating, h) birth weight, i) socio-economic status, j) age of house.

Are there any caveats to the study? Yes, many:

Still, the study published on p. 179–184 is reassuring. We can tell parents that atopic eczema is not a ”life-sentence”, but a controllable disease which in most children will disappear as they grow older.

Kristian Thestrup-Pedersen

Former Section Editor