Epidemiological change of atopic dermatitis and food allergy in school aged children in Korea between 1995 and 2000

초록

Background: An investigation into the worldwide prevalence of atopic diseases as asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic eczema in school aged children showed rates. But little is known the prevalence of atopic dermatitis and food allergy outside north American and Europe. Objectives: We evaluated the nationwide prevalence of atopic dermatitis and food allergy with the comparison of prevalence between 1995 and 2000 in South Korea and evaluate the correlation of prevalence between atopic dermatitis and food allergy. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted on random samples of schoolchildren 6 to 14 years at two time points, 1995 and 2000 throughout South Korea. Results: The lifetime and last twelve months prevalence of atopic dermatitis in Korean school-aged children was increased, whereas the prevalence of food allergy in school-aged children was not significantly different from 1995 to 2000. The treatment rate of food allergy (24.8%) was lower than the treatment rate of atopic dermatitis (97.5%) from 1995 to 2000 survey. The twelve-month prevalences of atopic dermatitis and food allergy were higher in Seoul than in other provincial cities in 1995, but the prevalence of both diseases in Seoul and Provincial Centers became to be similar in 2000. The correlation rate of children with atopic dermatitis responded to have food allergy (9.5%) was so lower than the previous studies in western countries, because the environmental and risk factors may be different among the countries according to their living cultures. Conclusions: Atopic dermatitis and food allergy are common problems for school-aged children and the public knowledge of atopic dermatitis have recently improved because of nationwide education for allergic diseases in South Korea. The further evaluations that include objective examination are required to confirm these outcomes.