Prevalence of dermatologic disease in the United States: a review of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1971-1974.

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1971-1974, provides the only data on the prevalence of dermatologic disease in the United States. Details are given about specific diagnoses, disability, disfigurement, discomfort, and the relationship of skin change to environmental and occupational exposure. One-third of the individuals, which extrapolates to 60 million Americans, had dermatological problems that should have been seen at least once by a physician. Of those, at least a third considered their skin problems to be a handicap, 10% a handicap to employment or housework. These data provide a basis for evaluating the effect of environment and occupation and should be of interest to those concerned with chronic effects of mechanical injury to the skin.