Sutton's summer prurigo of the elbows

Seasonal variations in skin diseases are most noticeable in those parts of the country with significant changes of seasons. For the past 5 years, I have noticed an unusual recurrent prurigo of the elbows which was originally described by Sutton. This disease, which I feel is related to atopic eczema, usually occurs on the elbows of children during the first few weeks of good spring weather. The disease appears as a papular eczematous dermatitis which is usually limited to the elbows but may also affect the knees, hands and chest. It responds well to topical corticosteroids but has a tendency to recur each spring for several years.