Are lifetime prevalence of impetigo, molluscum and herpes infection really increased in children having atopic dermatitis?

BACKGROUND

Cutaneous infections such as impetigo contagiosum (IC), molluscum contagiosum (MC) and herpes virus infection (HI) appear to be associated with atopic dermatitis (AD), but there are no reports of concrete epidemiological evidence.

OBJECTIVE

We evaluated the association of childhood AD with these infections by conducting a population-based cross-sectional study.

METHODS

Enrolled in this study were 1117 children aged 0-6 years old attending nursery schools in Ishigaki City, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Physical examination was performed by dermatologists, and a questionnaire was completed on each child's history of allergic diseases including AD, asthma, allergic rhinitis and egg allergy, and that of skin infections including IC, MC and HI, as well as familial history of AD.

RESULTS

In 913 children (AD; 132), a history of IC, MC or HI was observed in 45.1%, 19.7%, and 2.5%, respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the odds of having a history of IC were 1.8 times higher in AD children than in non-AD children. Meanwhile, a history of MC was significantly correlated to the male gender, but not to a personal history of AD. As for HI, we found no correlated factors in this study.

CONCLUSIONS

The lifetime prevalence of IC was indeed higher in young children with a history of AD.