Abstract
BackgroundAtopic dermatitis among children is an important issue due to relapses and skin manifestations. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is commonly used to treat children with atopic dermatitis. The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics and TCM prescriptions of patients with atopic dermatitis using a nationwide database.MethodsChildren younger than 12 years of age diagnosed with atopic dermatitis, defined as ICD-9-CM codes 691.8 and 692.x, were identified from the database. Data on age, diagnosis codes, area of residence and use of corticosteroids of the TCM users were recorded. Association rule mining was used to analyze the prescriptions used for atopic dermatitis.ResultsWe identified 13,646 children with atopic dermatitis using TCM in 2007. Female gender (OR: 0.83 for male gender), adolescence (OR: 10.0, 95 % CI: 8.88–11.15) and allergic rhinitis (OR: 2.44, 95 % CI: 2.10–2.85) were associated with the use of TCM. Fewer of the TCM users were prescribed with corticosteroids (35.8 % of all TCM users), but the TCM users had a higher rate of long-term topical corticosteroid therapy (10.6 % for TCM users versus 2.0 % for those who did not use TCM). Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) was used by 93.7 % of all TCM users in 36,398 prescriptions. On average, 5.6 kinds of CHM were used in combination. The relationship between the CHMs constituted a network, in which Xiao-Feng-San was the core treatment for atopic dermatitis.ConclusionsIn this study, we described the characteristics of children with atopic dermatitis who use TCM in Taiwan. and identified the core CHM treatment. Further research on the safety and efficacy of this treatment are still needed.
Highlights
Atopic dermatitis among children is an important issue due to relapses and skin manifestations
The use of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) was more common in the older children than in the younger children (OR: 10.0 among the school ages children, 95 % CI: 8.88–11.15, p < 0.001), and most of the TCM users were school-aged children (69 % of all TCM users)
This trend was more prominent in the TCM users than in the nonusers
Summary
Atopic dermatitis among children is an important issue due to relapses and skin manifestations. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is commonly used to treat children with atopic dermatitis. The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics and TCM prescriptions of patients with atopic dermatitis using a nationwide database. Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease which is highly prevalent among children [1, 2]. The clinical features of atopic dermatitis vary with age and the stage of disease, such as oozing, erosions and eroded vesicles in the acute stage, and hyper-pigmented lichenification of the skin in the chronic stage. Many studies have reported on the use and effectiveness of CHM, a detailed analysis of the prescription patterns of CHM for the treatment of atopic dermatitis is lacking. The characteristics of the children who use TCM and which CHMs are given to these children in daily clinical practice are unknown
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