Childhood atopic eczema (Q43790)

Atopic eczema in children and adolescents first presenting or continuing after infancy up to age 19 years. Its prevalence is highest in northern latitudes (e.g. nearly 20% in Norwegian children as compared with 0.7% in Tanzanian children). The sites most characteristically involved are the elbow and knee flexures, sides of the neck, wrists and ankles. As the disease progresses, lichenification (skin thickening) becomes a typical clinical feature, especially in areas that can be easily reached and scratched. Discoid variants are more common in children of African and Asian ancestry.