ABSTRACT
Objective:To evaluate the applicability of the Zhang′s diagnostic criteria for atopic dermatitis (AD) in adolescents and adults from southern Jiangsu.Methods:A total of 1 769 patients were collected, who were newly diagnosed with eczema or AD in departments of dermatology of 7 hospitals in southern Jiangsu from May 2019 to May 2021. A standardized survey interview was conducted with patients by dermatologists using a self-designed questionnaire, which included patient′s personal information, relevant medical history, clinical characteristics, laboratory tests, etc. Using Hanifin-Rajka criteria as the gold standard, the sensitivity and specificity of the Williams criteria, Zhang′s criteria and Japanese Dermatological Association (JDA) criteria were evaluated, separately.Results:Among the 1 769 patients, there were 759 (42.9%) males and 1 010 (57.1%) females, aged 32.2 ± 8.2 years (range, 12 - 79 years) . Pruritus was the most common clinical feature among the AD patients (883/913, 96.7%) . When using the Hanifin-Rajka criteria as the gold standard, 913 (51.6%) subjects were diagnosed with AD; the sensitivity of Zhang′s criteria reached 92.6% (845/913) , and its specificity was 73.2% (627/856) ; the sensitivity of Williams′ criteria was 87.8% (802/913) , and its specificity was 81.3% (696/856) ; the sensitivity of JDA criteria reached 96.9% (885/913) , and its specificity was 68.9% (590/856) . The consistency in the diagnosis of AD was moderate between the Zhang′s criteria and Williams criteria (Kappa = 0.61, P = 0.009) , was relatively high between the Zhang′s criteria and JDA criteria (Kappa = 0.85, P = 0.001) , and was moderate between the Williams criteria and JDA criteria (Kappa = 0.51, P = 0.013) . Conclusions:Compared with the Hanifin-Rajka criteria, the Zhang′s criteria exhibit good sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of AD among adolescents and adults in southern Jiangsu. However, pruritus remains important for the diagnosis of AD.