Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Feb;32(1):1-10.
doi: 10.5114/pdia.2014.40935. Epub 2015 Feb 2.

Atopic dermatitis is a serious health problem in Poland. Epidemiology studies based on the ECAP study

Adam J Sybilski  1 , Filip Raciborski  2 , Agnieszka Lipiec  3 , Aneta Tomaszewska  3 , Adam Lusawa  3 , Piotr Samel-Kowalik  3 , Artur Walkiewicz  3 , Edyta Krzych  3 , Jarosław Komorowski  3 , Bolesław Samoliński  3
Affiliations

Atopic dermatitis is a serious health problem in Poland. Epidemiology studies based on the ECAP study

Adam J Sybilski et al. Postepy Dermatol Alergol. 2015 Feb.

Abstract

Introduction: Global epidemiological studies have revealed considerable geographical differences in prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD).

Aim: To present the epidemiology of AD, risk factors and co-occurrence of allergic diseases in the Polish population.

Material and methods: The present paper is a part of the Epidemiology of Allergic Disorders in Poland study. We studied 22 703 participants by ECRHS/ISAAC questionnaire; 18 617 (53.8% female, 24.2% 6-7 y.o., 25.4% 13-14 y.o., 50.4% 20-44 y.o.) completed questionnaires were accepted. Four thousand seven hundred and eighty-three participants (25.7%) have undergone a medical examination.

Results: Atopic dermatitis was diagnosed in 3.91% (6-7 y.o. 5.34%, 13-14 y.o. 4.3%, adults 3.02%), more often in females (OR = 1.52; 95% CI: 0.56-0.77), in the cities (OR = 2.23; 95% CI: 1.61-3.09), in mothers (OR = 2.07; 95% CI: 1.72-2.48) and fathers (OR = 2.00; 95% CI: 1.61-2.49) with atopy, higher education (OR = 1.61; 95% CI: 1.11-2.32) and economic status (OR = 1.35; 95% CI: 1.04-1.74). The highest prevalence was found in Katowice (4.89%) and lowest in rural areas (1.9%). Coexisting AD and allergic rhinitis (AR) was found in 26.17%, AR and asthma in 9.09% and AD, AR and asthma in 14.6%. Atopic dermatitis was diagnosed by allergologists in 6.5% (6-7 y.o. 8.7%, 13-14 y.o. 9.0%, adults 3.6%). Most diagnoses were made in Poznan (16.76%) and smallest in rural area (3.67%). 78.8% of subjects were diagnosed with AD for the first time although they had earlier experienced its symptoms.

Conclusions: Atopic dermatitis prevalence in Poland is below the mean rate for Europe, but the risk factor profile is similar to other countries. Atopic dermatitis is more frequent in well-educated females with atopic parents and high socioeconomic status and who live in a city.

Keywords: atopic dermatitis; epidemiology; risk factors.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Diagnosis of current reported atopic dermatitis in the questionnaire-based survey
Figure 2
Figure 2
Rates of atopic dermatitis diagnosed in the questionnaire-based survey (n = 18617)
Figure 3
Figure 3
Concomitant occurrence of atopic dermatitis (AD), allergic rhinitis (AR), symptomatic asthma and declared asthma in the entire study population as identified by the questionnaire-based survey (n = 18 617)
Figure 4
Figure 4
Diagnosis of atopic dermatitis based on the questionnaires (n = 18 617) vs. clinically diagnosed atopic dermatitis (n = 4783) depending on place of residence
Figure 5
Figure 5
Epidemiology of atopic dermatitis according to ISAAC, ECRHS and ECAP studies [2, 4 modified by authors]
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Torres-Borrego J, Molina-Terán AB, Montes-Mendoza C. Prevalence and associated factors of allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis in children. Allergol Immunopathol. 2008;36:90–100. - PubMed
    1. Asher MI, Montefort S, Björkstén B, et al. Worldwide time trends in the prevalence of symptoms of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, and eczema in childhood: ISAAC Phases One and Three repeat multicountry cross-sectional surveys. Lancet. 2006;368:733–43. - PubMed
    1. Odhiambo JA, Williams HC, Clayton TO, et al. Global variations in prevalence of eczema symptoms in children from ISAAC Phase Three. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2009;124:1251–8. - PubMed
    1. Harrop J, Chinn S, Verlato G, et al. Eczema, atopy and allergen exposure in adults: a population-based study. Clin Exp Allergy. 2007;37:526–35. - PubMed
    1. Williams H, Stewart A, von Mutius E, et al. Is eczema really on the increase worldwide? J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2008;121:947–54. - PubMed