Abstract :
Background: Atopic Dermatitis (AD) is a commonly encountered, extremely itchy, chronic and relapsing skin disorder, which is characterized by inflammation in the skin. It typically has its onset in childhood, presenting with eczematous lesions; and can also be associated with personal or family history of “atopy”, usually most often. The criterion put by Hanifin and Rajka, encompassing 4 major plus 23 minor criteria, is not infrequently used as a diagnostic criterion for this disease in a hospital setup; however, the frequency of occurrence of the minor criteria usually varies in the population.
Aim: The study aims at estimating the frequency of the minor diagnostic criteria of the Hanifin and Rajka in children with AD.
Materials and Methods: This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study, that was conducted on 70 children (less than 18yrs of age) by taking their history, doing clinical and ophthalmological examination and some basic tests.
Results: The most common occurrence amongst the minor criteria estimated from our study was xerosis i.e., in 45(64.2%). The other common minor criteria observed were pityriasis alba (42.8%) facial erythema (40%), orbital darkening (37.14%) Early age of onset was seen in children (35.7%).
Conclusion: There is variation in the clinical features of AD according to geography and population. The prevalence and severity of the disease are dependent on several factors like ethnicity/race and environment. Hence, it is important for dermatologists to know the usual and common ways the disease presents, in a given population for the diagnosis so as to diagnose and treat the patients at an earlier stage and before significant discomfort.
Keyword :
Atopic dermatitis, children, Hanifin and Rajka's criteria, Northeast India