Globally, the prevalence of current eczema increased by 0.98 decade in adolescents and 1.21% per decade in children.

About 6% of children and adolescents have some form of eczema, according to New research published in Clinical & Experimental Allergy.

In addition, 0.6% of children and 1.1% of adolescents across the globe report symptoms of severe eczema.

The results come from an analysis of data from 14 countries involving 74,361 adolescents aged 13–14 years and 47,907 children aged 6–7 years. 

There was an average increase in the prevalence of current eczema symptoms of 0.98% per decade in adolescents and 1.21% per decade in children over 27 years, and of 0.26% and 0.23% per decade in severe eczema symptoms. However, there was substantial variation in changes in eczema prevalence over time by income and region. 

“Eczema remains a big public health problem around the world,” says corresponding author Sinéad Langan, PhD, of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, in a news release.  “Global research efforts are needed to address the burden related to eczema with continued international efforts to identify strategies to prevent the onset of eczema and to better manage the impact on individuals, their families, and health service.”