Atopic eczema in school children

Abstract

Information on Atopic eczema is sparse in Ethiopia. This survey was conducted to determine the prevalence of eczema among school children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 1995. A standardized self-administered questionnaire developed by the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Children (ISAAC) was used. A total of 2951 children (52.8% were females) participated in the study. A 29.2% of life time experience of recurrent itchy rash and 22.1% of 12 months prevalence of rash was reported by the children. However, only 11.2% of the children reported having eczema. Sleep disturbing rash, a sign of severe eczema, was reported by 2.6% of children. By using a simple standardized questionnaire, an internationally comparable local data was generated by this study. However, further studies with a more objective diagnostic criteria which includes skin prick test is recommended.


(Ethiopian Journal of Health Development: 2000, 14(1): 105-108)