Clinical characteristics of atopic dermatitis in children in the hot climate of Uzbekistan

Abstract

<b>Introduction.</b> Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a global problem of the 21st century, as the number of people suffering from this disease is steadily increasing, and around the world, about 20% of the population with clinical manifestations of this disease seek medical help. <b>Aim of the study.</b> Evaluation of the clinical course of AD in children in the hot climate of Uzbekistan. <b>Patients and methods.</b> 215 patients with atopic dermatitis aged from 1 to 18 years were under observation. The severity of AD was determined using the SCORAD index. <b>Results.</b> Among 215 patients, the erythematous-squamous form was observed in 63 (29.3%), erythematous-squamous with lichenification - in 47 (21.8%), lichenoid - in 55 (25.6%), exudative - in 34 (15.8%), and pruriginous form of AD - in 16 (7.4%). Most observed patients were adolescents, and the number of boys and girls with AD in this group was similar (49.6% and 50.4%, respectively). In terms of severity, taking into account the SCORAD index, in infancy, most patients had moderate (47.4%) and mild (36.8%) clinical course; in childhood - moderate (56.1%); in adolescence - moderate (40.3%) and severe (33.8%). In infancy, the exudative form was the most prevalent (52.6%). At the age of 2 to 11 years, the erythematous-squamous and lichenoid forms were the most frequently diagnosed (43.8% and 31.6% of cases, respectively). Meanwhile, at the age of 12 to 18 years, the patients were characterized by a different distribution of forms: the erythematous-squamous form with lichenification was observed in 28.1%, the lichenoid form - in 26.6%, and the erythematous-squamous form in 20.8%. <b>Conclusion.</b> In the present study, we assessed the relative frequency of forms of atopic dermatitis in children of different age groups in the hot climate of Uzbekistan.