The global, regional, and national burden of atopic dermatitis in 195 countries and territories: An ecological study from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

INTRODUCTION: Numerous population-based studies have focused on the global prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD), but there are few studies on the global trends of the burden associated with AD. METHODS: We analyzed the global AD trends in 2017 in 195 countries worldwide using the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study database, including prevalence rates, age and sex patterns, and AD burden, using disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Age-standardized DALYs were also compared to the sociodemographic index values of all the countries in 2017. RESULTS: The age-specific DALYs in 2017 showed a right-skewed distribution, with the highest DALYs between 1 and 5 years of age. Females had a higher burden of AD throughout all age groups and geographic regions. The GBD super region with the greatest burden of DALYs caused by AD was high income (178.63 DALYs per 100,000 males, 231.8 for females), and the country with the highest DALYs was Sweden (326.91). The GBD super region with the lowest age-standardized DALY burden caused by AD was south Asia (84.51 DALYs per 100,000 males, 100.54 for females). CONCLUSION: There is a large GBD caused by AD. The observed burden is the greatest in resource-rich countries, females, and young children.