Abstract :
Atopic dermatitis is one of the commonest chronic inflammatory skin diseases. There are variable diagnostic criteria that have been developed to make the diagnosis accurate and thus, appropriate management would be established. Hanifin and Rajka diagnostic criteria was one of the most commonly used diagnostic tools. In this study, the researchers aimed to explore the clinical profile and the distribution of these criteria among children with atopic dermatitis in comparison with a control group. The study was conducted in the outpatient clinic of a Alfayhaa Teaching hospital in Basrah, Iraq during the period from December, 2020 to March, 2021. The study found that maternal education, positive family history of atopy and being an overweight or obese child were associated with atopic dermatitis. The study also revealed that xerosis, early age of onset, facial erythema or pallor, previous hand or foot dermatitis, and elevated serum Immunoglobulin E level were the most common minor diagnostic criteria. Further studies to compare Hanifin and Rajka diagnostic criteria with other sets of criteria is recommended.
