Eczema across the world: the missing piece of the jigsaw revealed.

Cleverly using records obtained from the 2003 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH), Shaw et al. provide a pioneering glimpse into the burden of eczema across the United States. Using parental reports of a doctor's diagnosis of eczema in the past 12 months, the authors show that eczema affects around 9-18% of children age 17 and under. The study confirms reported associations such as living in metropolitan areas, higher household education level, and black ethnicity. Novel findings include the demonstration of higher eczema prevalence along the East Coast. The study correlates well with previous reports and may help point to environmental factors that contribute to the development of eczema.