The occurrence of atopic dermatitis in Greenland

Until recently there was no information available on the prevalence of atopic dermatitis in Greenland. Our objective was to determine the prevalence of atopic dermatitis in younger schoolchildren in Greenland. In the autumn of 2000 we used our previously elaborated questionnaire in a cross-sectional study of 954 schoolchildren aged 7 - 8 years, who lived in five Greenlandic towns. The findings were compared to data on atopic dermatitis from Denmark. The response rate was 65% ( 622). The lifetime prevalence of atopic dermatitis was calculated to be 14.0% (95% confidence interval 11.3 - 16.7) using our standard score criteria with an absolute lower limit estimate of 4.5%. Taking the response rate of 65% into consideration this study indicates that in 2000 the lifetime prevalence of atopic dermatitis among younger schoolchildren in Greenland was in the range of 10 - 15%.