Most childhood atopic dermatitis (AD) remitted by adulthood, a recent study found. However, children with already persistent disease, later onset, and/or more severe disease experience increased persistence. Researchers conducted a systematic literature review and meta-analysis; 45 studies including 110,651 subjects spanning 434,992 patient-years from 15 countries were included. They found:

• In pooled analysis, 80% of childhood AD did not persist by 8 years and less than 5% persisted by 20 years after diagnosis (mean ± SE: 6.1 ± 0.02 years).

• Children with AD that persisted already for more than 10 years (8.3 ± 0.08 years) had longer persistence than those with 3 (3.2 ±0.02 years) of 5 (6.8 ± 0.06 years) years of persistence.

• Children who developed AD by age 2 had less persistent disease.

• Persistence was greater in studies using patient-/caregiver-assessed vs physician-assessed outcomes and female vs male patients, but not in those with sensitivity to allergens.