RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Previous reports suggest that atopic dermatitis is more common in black Caribbean children born in the United Kingdom than in white children. It is unclear whether these differences are caused by selection bias or variations in the use of the word "eczema" in the groups studied. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to explore ethnic group differences in the prevalence of atopic dermatitis in London schoolchildren. METHODS: A cross-sectional prevalence survey of 693 junior school children in three schools was performed. Atopic dermatitis was defined in three ways: (1) by a dermatologist, (2) by visible flexural dermatitis as recorded by an independent observer, and (3) by a history of flexural dermatitis according to the child's parents. RESULTS: The prevalence of atopic dermatitis according to examination by a dermatologist was 16.3% in black Caribbean children and 8.7% in white children. This increased risk was present for different methods of defining of a atopic dermatitis and persisted after adjustment for potential confounders. CONCLUSION: London-born black Caribbean children appear to be at an increased risk of having atopic dermatitis.
Assuntos
População Negra , Dermatite Atópica/epidemiologia , Negro ou Afro-Americano/estatística & dados numéricos , Viés , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Fatores de Confusão Epidemiológicos , Estudos Transversais , Dermatite Atópica/diagnóstico , Eczema/diagnóstico , Eczema/epidemiologia , Etnicidade/estatística & dados numéricos , Humanos , Londres/epidemiologia , Prevalência , Rinite Alérgica Sazonal/epidemiologia , Fatores de Risco , Dermatopatias/epidemiologia , Classe Social , Índias Ocidentais/etnologia , População Branca/estatística & dados numéricosRESUMO
Five cases of a distinctive facial eruption in Afro-Caribbean children are described. Distinctive features include monomorphic papules that are confined to the face, especially around the mouth, eyelids and ears, its greater prevalence in black children, and its tendency to persist for several months before spontaneous resolution. The aetiology of this condition is unknown and its importance lies in reassuring patients of the benign and purely cutaneous nature of the eruption.