Predictors of atopic dermatitis in Leicester children.

There is little contemporary data available on the prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD) or the risk factors associated with this disease. We therefore performed a prospective study of 1-year-old children based on a cohort of consecutive births in Leicester hospitals. Parents of 1800 children born between March and May 1992 were asked at the time of the birth to allow their child to be entered on a register. A sample of 499 of these children were invited for interview and examination at 1 year of age. Data were collected on gestational maturity, birth weight, feeding pattern, family history of eczema and atopy, social class and other parameters. Four hundred and thirteen of the 499 children were examined (83%). The overall point prevalence of AD was 10.7% (95% confidence interval, 7.7%-13.7%). The most significant risk factor for a child developing AD was a parental history of eczema.