Association between severe eczema in children and multiple comorbid conditions and increased healthcare utilization

Background Atopic dermatitis (AD) is associated with multiple comorbid conditions, such as asthma and food allergy. We sought to determine the impact of eczema severity on the development of these disorders and other non‐atopic comorbidities in AD. Methods We used the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health, a prospective questionnaire‐based study of a nationally representative sample of 91,642 children aged 0–17 yr. Prevalence and severity of eczema, asthma, hay fever and food allergy, sleep impairment, healthcare utilization, recurrent ear infections, and visual and dental problems were determined. Results In general, more severe eczema is correlated with poorer overall health, impaired sleep, and increased healthcare utilization, including seeing a specialist, compared with children with mild or moderate disease (Rao‐Scott chi‐squared test, p