Abstract: Objective To study the prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD) in China. Method School children aged 6～20 were surveyed with questionnaire in different areas in our country. Results This survey was carried out in 22 cities and rural areas, distributed in 11 provinces. There were 548 AD patients(347 males and 201 females) in a total population of 78 586. The total standardized prevalence (SP) was 0.69%. The SPs of the males and the females were 0.84% and 0.51%, respectively, the difference being statistically significant(P<0.01). The SPs were significantly different between urban(1.10%) and rural areas(0.73%)(P<0.01). The significant difference of SPs was also found in the South (0.31%), Middle (0.79%) and North China (0.56%). The prevalence of AD correlated negatively with the age (r=-0.78, P<0.05). Conclusion It is indicated that standardized prevalences of AD are higher in the urban than those in the rural areas, and in the males than those in the females in our survey in November and December of 1998. The prevalence of AD correlates negatively with the age.

Key words: Dermatitis, atopic, Prevalence