[Sites, types of manifestations and micromanifestations of atopic dermatitis in young adults. A personal follow-up 20 years after diagnosis in childhood]

Abstract

A follow-up study of 47 patients who had suffered from atopic dermatitis in infancy (< 2 years aged old) was conducted by means of a questionnaire and personal interview/examination at the mean age of 23 years. It was found that 72.3% of them were still suffering from atopic dermatitis. The atopic eczema was mostly localized on the fingers (67.6%), on the head, e.g. forehead, eyelids and scalp (32% each), neck (35%) and chest (32%). Different localizations from the juvenile and adolescence phase were observed. In 73.5% the lichenoid type of atopic eczema was seen, in 67.6% the eczematic form of reaction, and in 28.4% the follicular form, the latter having decreased significantly in frequency since the adolescent phase. The pruriginous form with prurigo papules was observed only in the 8.8% of the patients who had been suffering from a chronic form of the disease since childhood. Nummular reactions were not observed. In 66% of the patients micromanifestations were present, most frequently perlèches (40.4%), retroauricular intertrigo (34%), atopic eyelid eczema (21%) and 21.3% "pulpite sèche" (tylotic, rhagadiform fingerpad eczema) (21.3%). In 14.9% of all patients these minimal forms of atopic dermatitis were present exclusively.