[Illness and social status--the special case of neurodermatitis]

Neither the prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD) in children nor the magnitude of risk factors such as socioeconomic status or environmental pollution are well known in Germany. In cooperation with the public health service, we therefore carried out a cross-sectional study during a 1992 preschool examination in Hannover covering 4,219 children. Lifetime prevalence of atopic dermatitis was 10.5%; the range for prevalence in 49 districts of Hannover was 2.8-25.0%. The AD prevalence differed significantly between German and non-German children (12.4 vs. 2.1%) and among children from families of different socio-economic status (6.5% low; 18.1% high). Statistically significant associations between AD risk and social variables (family structure, nationality, socio-economic status, occupation) and the lack of definite associations with environmental factors support the hypothesis that life style may be an important risk factor for atopic dermatitis.