BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflamatory disease of the skin which mainly affects children. It is characterized by itch and cutaneous hyperactivity with typical lesions that depend on the affected age group and the disease stage. It is frequently associated to rhinitis and asthma. OBJECTIVE: To identify the clinical characteristics of atopic dermatitis in patients treated at the Regional Center of Allergy and Clinical Immunology of Monterrey, NL, Mexico. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective and descriptive study was done by the review of clinical files of patients with atopic dermatitis diagnosis from January 1997 to May 2002. The statistical analysis was done by central tendency measures. RESULTS: We reviewed 119 clinical files, 53 (44.5%) were male and 66 (55.5%) female. The most frequent clinical manifestations were pruritus and eczematous lesions, both in 117 patients (98.3%). Fifty-five percent of the patients initiated symptoms before 6 years of age. Eighty eight patients (74%) had family and/or personal history of atopia. Other associated manifestations were allergic rhinitis in 38 patients (31.9%), asthma and rhinitis in 25 patients (21%) and only asthma in 2 patients (1.7%). In 44 patients, food skin tests were done with a positive result in 25 patients, the most frequent was to egg (68%) and in 64 patients these were positive to aeroallergens being the most frequent Dermatophagoides p teronyssinus (85.1%). CONCLUSIONS: The pruritus and eczematous lesions were the most constant manifestations in this group of patients where family and/ or personal history of atopia was frequent.
BACKGROUND:Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflamatory disease of the skin which mainly affects children. It is characterized by itch and cutaneous hyperactivity with typical lesions that depend on the affected age group and the disease stage. It is frequently associated to rhinitis and asthma. OBJECTIVE: To identify the clinical characteristics of atopic dermatitis in patients treated at the Regional Center of Allergy and Clinical Immunology of Monterrey, NL, Mexico. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective and descriptive study was done by the review of clinical files of patients with atopic dermatitis diagnosis from January 1997 to May 2002. The statistical analysis was done by central tendency measures. RESULTS: We reviewed 119 clinical files, 53 (44.5%) were male and 66 (55.5%) female. The most frequent clinical manifestations were pruritus and eczematous lesions, both in 117 patients (98.3%). Fifty-five percent of the patients initiated symptoms before 6 years of age. Eighty eight patients (74%) had family and/or personal history of atopia. Other associated manifestations were allergic rhinitis in 38 patients (31.9%), asthma and rhinitis in 25 patients (21%) and only asthma in 2 patients (1.7%). In 44 patients, food skin tests were done with a positive result in 25 patients, the most frequent was to egg (68%) and in 64 patients these were positive to aeroallergens being the most frequent Dermatophagoides p teronyssinus (85.1%). CONCLUSIONS: The pruritus and eczematous lesions were the most constant manifestations in this group of patients where family and/ or personal history of atopia was frequent.