[Seasonal changes in the course of atopic eczema]

To investigate seasonal changes of the course of atopic dermatitis, questionnaires were sent to patients treated for this condition in 1984. The replies obtained from 506 patients indicated that in most of them the skin condition deteriorated in winter and improved in summer. However, among patients older than 5 years the proportion of those with deterioration in summer was higher. It is suggested that seasonal factors greatly influence the skin condition of patients with atopic dermatitis and that these seasonal variations often depend on age and environment.