Abstract: Objective To study the prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD) in children in major cities of China. Methods The children aged 1-7 were surveyed with questionnaire in ten cities of our country. Results In a total population of 49 241, there were 1 371 AD patients (768 males and 603 females) discovered. The total prevalence was 2.78%. The prevalence of males and females was 3.03% and 2.53%, respectively, The total standardized prevalence (S.P.) was 3.07%. The male and female S.P. was 3.86% and 2.20%, respectively, the difference being statistically significant (P<0.01). The prevalence of AD presented a negative correlation to age, and the coefficient of correlation r was -0.17, P<0.05. Conclusion The standardized prevalence of AD demonstrated that it was higher in males than that in females in Oct. and Nov. 2002 in ten cities of our country. The prevalence of AD presented a negative correlation to age.

Key words: Dermatitis, atopic, Prevalence