title: Atopic and nonatopic eczema in adolescence: is there a difference?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is limited information on clinical manifestations of atopic eczema (AE) and non-AE in teenagers.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the characteristics of adolescent eczema in the general population and to identify potential differences between AE and non-AE in teenagers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Overall, 3108 teenagers were included from the population-based BAMSE cohort and 2529 of these teenagers provided blood samples for analysis of specific IgE. At age 16 years, the teenagers answered questionnaires regarding the symptoms of eczema, asthma and rhinitis for the previous year.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of eczema in adolescence was 9·6% (n = 297). More girls than boys had eczema (12·5% vs. 6·5%; P < 0·001). The age at onset was usually within the first 2 years of life (48·8%), but onset in adolescence was also common (25·6%). Eczema was mild in 72·7% of cases, moderate in 16·8% and severe in 10·4%. Body folds were most frequently affected (73·4%). More than half of the teenagers with eczema had AE (59%). The teenagers with AE had more severe and more chronic eczema. Onset in infancy was most common in AE and onset in adolescence was most common in non-AE. There were no major differences in location or seasonal variance between AE and non-AE in adolescence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AE is more common than non-AE among teenagers. More than one in four teenagers with eczema has moderate-to-severe disease. Onset in adolescence is common, especially for non-AE. AE in adolescence has an earlier onset and is more chronic and more severe than non-AE.
authors.affiliation: Dermatology and Venereology Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.|Dermatological and Venereal Clinic, Södersjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: E K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.affiliation: Sachs' Children and Youth Hospital, Södersjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden.|Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ballardini
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bergström
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.|Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kull
authors.affiliation: Dermatology and Venereology Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.|Department of Dermatology, Karolinska University Hospital Solna, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: C-F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Wahlgren
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017668:Age of Onset; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D004485:Eczema / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012621:Seasons; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology