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
Review
. 2017 Jul;35(3):291-297.
doi: 10.1016/j.det.2017.02.003. Epub 2017 Apr 22.

The Long-Term Course of Atopic Dermatitis

Katrina Abuabara  1 , David J Margolis  2 , Sinéad M Langan  3
Affiliations
Review

The Long-Term Course of Atopic Dermatitis

Katrina Abuabara et al. Dermatol Clin. 2017 Jul.

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, relapsing condition, meaning that the intensity of symptoms usually fluctuates over time. Changes in skin physiology may be evident from birth, suggesting that AD may be a lifelong condition marked by intermittent symptoms/disease activity. Methodological considerations for studying the long-term course of AD are reviewed in detail. Improved measurement of the frequency and duration of active disease periods can help to elucidate more about the clinical course AD and the role of treatment in long-term outcomes.

Keywords: Atopic dermatitis; Atopic eczema; Clinical course; Eczema; Epidemiology; Natural history.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Hypothetical example illustrating the long-term course of AD
Notes: TEWL Transepidermal water loss
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Eichenfield LF, Tom WL, Chamlin SL, et al. Guidelines of care for the management of atopic dermatitis: section 1. Diagnosis and assessment of atopic dermatitis. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2014;70(2):338–351. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hanifin JM, R G. Diagnostic features of atopic dermatitis. Acta Derm Venereol. 1980;92(suppl):44–47.
    1. Williams HC, W B. Atopic Dermaittis: The epidemiology, causes and prevention of atopic eczema. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press; 2000. The natural history of atopic dermatitis.
    1. Abuabara K, Margolis DJ. Do children really outgrow their eczema, or is there more than one eczema? J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2013;132(5):1139–1140. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hay RJ, Johns NE, Williams HC, et al. The global burden of skin disease in 2010: an analysis of the prevalence and impact of skin conditions. J Invest Dermatol. 2014;134(6):1527–1534. - PubMed