Abstract
BackgroundAtopic dermatitis (AD) is a common inflammatory and chronically relapsing disorder with increasing prevalence. However, little is known about its prevalence in Shanghai, the top metropolitan of China. This study will estimate and compare the prevalence of AD in urban and rural areas in representative samples of 3 to 6-year-old children in Shanghai.Methodology/Principal FindingsA descriptive cross-sectional study was performed. Pre-school children were obtained by cluster sampling from 8 communities in different districts in Shanghai. The main instrument was the core questionnaire module for AD used in the U.K. Working Party's study. All the data were statistically analyzed by EpiData 3.1 and SPSS16.0. A total of 10436 children completed the study satisfactorily, with a response rate of 95.8%. The prevalence of AD in 3 to 6-year-old children was 8.3% (Male: 8.5%, Female: 8.2%). The prevalence in urban areas of Shanghai was gradiently and significantly higher than that in rural areas. The highest prevalence was in the core urban area (10.2% in Xuhui Tianping) vs. the lowest far from the urban areas (4.6% in Chongming Baozhen).Conclusions/SignificanceThe prevalence of AD was 8.3% (95%CI: 7.6%–9.1%) in children aged 3 to 6 in Shanghai. The prevalence of AD decreased from the center to the rural areas in Shanghai.
Highlights
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common inflammatory disease characterized by intense itch and eczematous lesions, which has become an important health problem in children worldwide
Children enrolled in the kindergartens in these eight communities were all surveyed in this study. 1-Xuhui Tianping (XT) and 2-Pudong Huamu (PH) are in the center of Shanghai. 3Changning Xinjing (CX) is at the boundary of the center area, about 10 kilometers from the city center. 4-Jiading Juyuan(JJ)and 5-Baoshan Sitang(BS) are about 30 to 40 kilometers from the center of Shanghai and have experienced significant economic development in the past decade. 6-Nanhui Xinchang(NX), 7Jinshan Sanyang (JS) and 8-Chongming Baozheng (CB) are typical of the countryside around Shanghai, about 60 to100 kilometers from the center of Shanghai, and much farther away than 4 and 5
The prevalence of AD based on the questionnaire was 8.3% (95%confidence interval (CI): 7.6%–9.1%)
Summary
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common inflammatory disease characterized by intense itch and eczematous lesions, which has become an important health problem in children worldwide. A high prevalence of AD is noted in countries such as Sweden, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Portugal and Thailand, opposed to the countries with lower prevalence rates[1] such as in Iran, Albania, India, Singapore and Spain. A higher prevalence was found in Beijing and Shanghai, reported by Gu Heng in 2002, while a lower prevalence was found in Shenyang[2]. With the rapid economic development in Shanghai, there has been no follow-up study of the prevalence of AD in children of this city. The objective of this work was to evaluate and compare the prevalence of AD in children aged 3 to 6 year-old in Shanghai with special attention to the difference between urban and rural areas. This study will estimate and compare the prevalence of AD in urban and rural areas in representative samples of 3 to 6-year-old children in Shanghai
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