Atopic dermatitis in Tunisian schoolchildren.

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD) is low in North Africa. We describe the epidemiology of this atopic condition among school children in Tunisia. METHODS: We conducted a Cross-sectional survey study of 5 to 6-year-old schoolchildren from 21 primary schools of Sfax. The diagnosis of AD was based on the U.K. Working Party diagnostic criteria. A questionnaire including these criteria and some risk factors of AD was issued to the children. All children were examined by one dermatologist. RESULTS: Among the 1617 examined children, ten had AD giving a one-year prevalence of 0.65%. The overall sex ratio was 2.33. The disease occurred before the age of 2 years in 3 children. Pure AD without concomitant respiratory allergies was noted in 3 cases. One first-degree family member with atopy was at least noted in seven children. The strongest associated factor was the presence of AD in at least one parent and maternal age at the time of the child birth. Nor breast-feeding neither environmental characteristics of the house did correlate with AD. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of AD in Tunisian schoolchildren is low but comparable to those of other developing countries. Family history of atopy and maternal age at the birth time was the most important associated factors.

[Epidemiologic, clinic and allergologic profile of atopic dermatitis in south Tunisia]. / Profil epidemiologique, clinique et allergologique de la dermatite atopique dans le sud Tunisien.

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the collection of the cutaneous inflammatory manifestations which are chronic or repetitive associated with the other atopic diseases. The prevalence of the AD varies from one country to another. AIM: The aims of this work in to study the allergolicol, clinical and epidemiological profile of the AD in the south of Tunisia. METHODS: our study is prospective about 100 cases reported in a period of 18 months. The diagnostic was carried on the criteria of Hanifin and Radjka. For every patient we studied the biographical data and the clinical manifestations of AD. Allergoloigical explorations (pricks-tests) were carried out. RESULTS: the overage of the patients was 104 months with extremes of 5 moths and 43 years. 65 % of our patients were men. At the beginning the average was 61 months with extremes of 2 months and 37 years. 55 patients had antecedents of family allergy and 34 had antecedents of personal allergy. The former preceded the AD in 28 cases. We didn't note any significant relation between the existence of familial allergy and the severity of the AD. In the statement, the principal factor was the contact with the house dust (33 cases), the duration of maternal breastfeeding (overage 13.7 months) didn't influence neither the SCORAD, nor the beginning age of the AD. The date of beginning of food diversity (overage 6.16 months) didn't significantly influence the severity of the illness. The clinical aspect was a sharp eczema in 71% of the cases according. To the SCORAD score. The AD was judged to be weak in 5 cases, moderate in 68 cases and severe in 27 cases. The number of rise per year varied from one rise (75 cases), to more then 6 rises per year (6 cases). The evolution was chronic in 6 cases. The pricks test showed to be positive for the accariens in the group of aeroallergen in 9 cases among the 35 cases tested, and positive for the whole egg in the group of trophallergen in 5 cases among the 13 cases tested.