Epidemiology of adult patients with atopic dermatitis in AWARE 1: A second international survey

BACKGROUND: There are gaps in our understanding of the epidemiology of atopic dermatitis (AD) in adults.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence and severity of AD in adults from countries/regions within Asia, Eurasia, Latin America, Middle East, and Russia.

METHODS: This international, web-based survey was performed in Argentina, Brazil, China, Colombia, Egypt, Hong Kong, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, Russia, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates.

Questionnaires were sent to adult members of online respondent panels for determination of AD and assessment of severity.

A diagnosis of AD required respondents to meet the modified United Kingdom (UK) Working Party criteria and to self-report they had a physician diagnosis of AD.

Severity of AD was determined using Patient-Oriented Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis (PO-SCORAD), Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM), and Patient Global Assessment (PGA).

RESULTS: Among respondents by country/region the prevalence of AD ranged from 3.4% in Israel to 33.7% in Thailand.

The prevalence was generally higher in females versus males.

Severity varied by scale, although regardless of scale the proportion of respondents with mild and moderate disease was higher than severe disease.

PGA consistently resulted in the lowest proportion of severe AD (range 2.4% China – 10.8% Turkey) relative to PO-SCORAD (range 13.4% China – 41.6% KSA) and POEM (range 5.1% China – 16.6% Israel).

CONCLUSIONS: This survey highlights the importance of AD in adults, with high prevalence and high morbidity among respondents and emphasizes that AD is not just a disease of childhood—there is disease persistence and chronicity in adults.