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Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Atopic Dermatitis

  • Epidemiology (JI Silverberg, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common chronic inflammatory skin disorder in the USA and worldwide. There are significant differences in the epidemiology, phenotype, and genetics of AD in different racial and ethnic subgroups. In particular, patients of African descent have been found to have higher prevalence of AD in the USA and England, whereas Hispanic Americans have lower prevalence of AD. Further, African Americans have been found to have more severe disease and more comorbid allergic disorder. Patients of African descent appear to have different genetic risk factors, with less loss-of-function filaggrin 1 mutations and more filaggrin 2 mutations than patients of Northern or Eastern European origin. Finally, AD has different clinical phenotypes in African Americans, which clinicians need to recognize for the proper diagnosis and assessment of AD.

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Abbreviations

AD:

Atopic dermatitis

NSCH:

National Survey of Children’s Health

NHIS:

National Health Interview Survey

NHANES:

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

ISAAC:

International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood

FLG:

Filaggrin

NMF:

Natural moisturizing factor

IgE:

immunoglobulin E

Th2:

T helper 2

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Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

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Conflict of Interest

JI Silverberg declares no conflicts of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Suite 1600 676 N St Clair Ave, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA

    Jonathan I. Silverberg

  2. Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA

    Jonathan I. Silverberg

  3. Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA

    Jonathan I. Silverberg

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Correspondence to Jonathan I. Silverberg.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Epidemiology

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Silverberg, J.I. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Atopic Dermatitis. Curr Derm Rep 4, 44–48 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13671-014-0097-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13671-014-0097-7

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