Doctor Visits Up for Kids' Eczema

The number of doctor visits for children with atopic
dermatitis (a type of eczema) has risen in recent years, new research
shows.

A study published in September's edition of the journal Pediatrics
traces the trend.

The study shows that there were 620,000 pediatric visits for atopic
dermatitisB in 1997. That number rose to 1.7 million pediatric visits in
2003 and dropped to 850,000 doctor visits in 2004.

Those figures are based on two large CDC databases that track medical care
for children and teens.

The trend was strongerB for African-American and Asian children than for
white children, and for toddlers and young kids, compared with older children
and teens.

The researchers -- who included dermatologist Karen Horii, MD, of Children's
Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City, Mo. -- aren't sure what accounts
for the trend.

Perhaps atopic dermatitis, which is already children's most common
inflammatory skin disease, is becoming even more common. Or maybe doctors are
getting better at diagnosing it, Horii's team suggests.

The 2003 peak in pediatric visits for atopic dermatitis may be linked to a
new class of eczema drugs called topical calcineurin inhibitors that debuted
that year. The buzz about those drugs may have prompted some parents to take
their children to the pediatrician, the researchers speculate.

But another class of drugs, topical corticosteroids, are kids' typical
atopic dermatitisB prescription -- andB most doctors didn't write
prescriptions for kids' atopic dermatitis, the study shows.

Because the data focus on doctor visits, not the number of patients, it's
not clear how many kids hadB all those appointments with doctors.B Some
children may have had several appointments for their atopic dermatitis.

By Miranda Hitti
Reviewed by Louise Chang
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