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. 2025;241(1):1-9.
doi: 10.1159/000541590. Epub 2024 Sep 27.

Frequency of Atopic Dermatitis and Psoriasis in the Elderly: Cross-Sectional Findings from the German AugUR Study

Karl Philipp Drewitz  1 , Klaus J Stark  2 , Martina E Zimmermann  2 , Iris M Heid  2 , Christian J Apfelbacher  1   3
Affiliations

Frequency of Atopic Dermatitis and Psoriasis in the Elderly: Cross-Sectional Findings from the German AugUR Study

Karl Philipp Drewitz et al. Dermatology. 2025.

Abstract

Introduction: Atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis appear to affect 2-3% (lifetime prevalence) people worldwide. However, there are little epidemiological data on the prevalence of those two chronic inflammatory skin diseases in the elderly. The aim of this study was to provide frequency estimates of AD and psoriasis obtained from an elderly population in Germany.

Methods: We examined baseline data from the AugUR study, a cohort study focusing on an aging population in the city and the vicinity of Regensburg, Germany. We estimated raw frequencies of physician-diagnosed AD and psoriasis from participants' self-reports in personal interviews. These frequencies were adjusted to reflect the demographic distribution of the Bavarian population, considering both sex and age groupings spanning 5 or 10 years and reported with 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results: Data from 1,133 participants aged 70-95 (median age 76.7 years, 45.1% women) were available for analysis. Physician-diagnosed AD was reported by 3.3% (95% CI: 2.3-4.5) of participants (2.4% from men, 4.3% from women) and 5.6% (95% CI: 4.3-7.1%) reported physician-diagnosed psoriasis (6.6% in men, 4.3% in women). Age- and sex-standardized frequency estimates for AD were 3.4% (95% CI: 2.4-4.6, 2.6% in men, 4.3% in women) and 5.3% for psoriasis (95% CI: 4.1-6.8, 6.3% in men and 4.1% in women).

Conclusion: This study indicates a lower than previously reported lifetime prevalence of AD (3.4% vs. 8-10%) and a higher one regarding psoriasis (5.3% vs. 2-4%) in highly aged individuals. More epidemiological research in elderly populations using validated physician diagnoses is desirable.

Introduction: Atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis appear to affect 2-3% (lifetime prevalence) people worldwide. However, there are little epidemiological data on the prevalence of those two chronic inflammatory skin diseases in the elderly. The aim of this study was to provide frequency estimates of AD and psoriasis obtained from an elderly population in Germany.

Methods: We examined baseline data from the AugUR study, a cohort study focusing on an aging population in the city and the vicinity of Regensburg, Germany. We estimated raw frequencies of physician-diagnosed AD and psoriasis from participants' self-reports in personal interviews. These frequencies were adjusted to reflect the demographic distribution of the Bavarian population, considering both sex and age groupings spanning 5 or 10 years and reported with 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results: Data from 1,133 participants aged 70-95 (median age 76.7 years, 45.1% women) were available for analysis. Physician-diagnosed AD was reported by 3.3% (95% CI: 2.3-4.5) of participants (2.4% from men, 4.3% from women) and 5.6% (95% CI: 4.3-7.1%) reported physician-diagnosed psoriasis (6.6% in men, 4.3% in women). Age- and sex-standardized frequency estimates for AD were 3.4% (95% CI: 2.4-4.6, 2.6% in men, 4.3% in women) and 5.3% for psoriasis (95% CI: 4.1-6.8, 6.3% in men and 4.1% in women).

Conclusion: This study indicates a lower than previously reported lifetime prevalence of AD (3.4% vs. 8-10%) and a higher one regarding psoriasis (5.3% vs. 2-4%) in highly aged individuals. More epidemiological research in elderly populations using validated physician diagnoses is desirable.

Keywords: Age research; Atopic dermatitis; Chronic inflammatory skin diseases; Dermato-epidemiology; Eczema; Psoriasis.

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Conflict of interest statement

C.J.A. has received institutional funding from the Dr. Wolff Group and Bionorica and consultancy fees from the Dr. Wolff Group, Bionorica, Sanofi, and LEO Pharma. All other authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this article.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Cell frequencies in different age strata of the Bavarian population, inhabitants of the city, and surrounding communities of Regensburg (both out of the 2011 Census) and the AugUR participants. Shown are relative frequencies of each age group in the population mentioned on the right side (e.g., 40%, 25%, 20%, 15% regarding the Bavarian Census).
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Cell frequencies for women in different groups following the illustration in Figure 1.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Cell frequencies for men in different groups following the illustration in Figure 1.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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