title: Community validation of the U.K. diagnostic criteria for atopic dermatitis in Japanese elementary schoolchildren.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A simple list of diagnostic criteria for atopic dermatitis for use in epidemiological studies was developed by a U.K. working party. This list served well for both hospital patients with skin diseases and in general population within the U.K.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To validate the U.K. diagnostic criteria in Japanese elementary schoolchildren, we collected the questionnaires on regular health checkups, which had been completed by parents of schoolchildren in 2001/2002 and 2004/2005.
  
  
  METHODS
  Elementary schoolchildren were examined by dermatologists in eight areas (16,152 children) in 2001/2002 and in three areas (3849 children) in 2004/2005. The questionnaire was distributed to the parents 2 weeks before the skin examination, completed by the parents and collected after the survey.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 2002/2002 comparing the U.K. diagnostic criteria with the findings on clinical examination used as the reference standard, the U.K. criteria (1-year prevalence measure) showed a sensitivity of 71.8%, specificity of 89.3% and positive predictive value of 44.7%. In 2004/2005 we confirmed that the U.K. criteria for a point prevalence measure showed a higher positive predictive value (59.9%) compared with that for 1-year prevalence measure (49.3%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Now that we know the sensitivity and specificity of the U.K. criteria in the population examined in this study, we will be able in the near future to estimate the prevalence of atopic dermatitis in a similar population with reverse operation by questionnaires alone using these criteria without examination by dermatologists. Therefore, the validation study of U.K. criteria could be useful for future epidemiologic surveys.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan. saeki-der@h.u-tokyo.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hidehisa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saeki
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iizuka
authors.forename: Yasuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Toshihide
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akasaka
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takagi
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kitajima
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Oiso
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kawada
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tezuka
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Michihiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hide
authors.forename: Shoso
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Yasuaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hirose
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kodama
authors.forename: Kazunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Urabe
authors.forename: Masutaka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Furue
authors.forename: Fumiyoshi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kasagi
authors.forename: Eishin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsunemi
authors.forename: Kunihiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tamaki
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003153:Community Health Services; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003880:Dermatology / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D012015:Reference Standards; D012574:Schools; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom