title: Hand eczema and atopic dermatitis in adolescents: a prospective cohort study from the BAMSE project.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is a well-known association between atopic dermatitis (AD) and hand eczema but less is known about how age at onset, persistence and severity of AD influence the risk of developing hand eczema.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the role of AD in the occurrence of hand eczema in adolescence. In addition, associations between asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis, sensitization to common airborne and food allergens, and hand eczema were studied.
  
  
  METHODS
  From the population-based birth cohort BAMSE, 2927 adolescents who had been followed up repeatedly concerning allergy-related disease were included. Questionnaires identified adolescents with hand eczema at 16 years, and their blood was analysed for specific IgE.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 152 (5·2%) adolescents had hand eczema at the age of 16 years. Many of these adolescents had a history of AD (n = 111; 73·0%) and asthma and/or rhinitis (n = 83; 54·6%), respectively. Children with AD (aged 0-16 years) had more than threefold increased odds ratios (OR) for having hand eczema; those with persistent or severe AD had a crude OR of 6·1 [95% confidence interval (CI) 4·0-9·1] and 5·3 (95% CI 2·9-9·6), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We confirm a strong association between AD during childhood and hand eczema in adolescence. Children with persistent or more severe AD are at greater risk of developing hand eczema. Asthma and/or rhinoconjunctivitis, positive specific IgE or age at onset of AD are not associated with hand eczema in adolescence.
authors.affiliation: Karolinska Institutet, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grönhagen
authors.affiliation: Karolinska Institutet, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lidén
authors.affiliation: Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, Dermatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: C-F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Wahlgren
authors.affiliation: Karolinska Institutet, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Stockholm, Sweden.|South General Hospital, Sachs' Children and Youth Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ballardini
authors.affiliation: Karolinska Institutet, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bergström
authors.affiliation: Karolinska Institutet, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Stockholm, Sweden.|South General Hospital, Sachs' Children and Youth Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.|South General Hospital, Department of Clinical Science and Education, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kull
authors.affiliation: Karolinska Institutet, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Meding
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017668:Age of Onset; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D004485:Eczema / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006229:Hand Dermatoses / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology