0000000000321098
AUTHOR
M. Clausen
How well do questionnaires perform compared with physical examination in detecting flexural eczema? Findings from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) Phase Two.
International audience; BACKGROUND: Questionnaires are widely used in epidemiological studies to measure eczema symptom prevalence, but there are concerns regarding their accuracy if used as a diagnostic tool. OBJECTIVES: To compare the performance of a validated eczema symptom questionnaire and a standardized skin examination protocol employed in the second phase of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). METHODS: A total of 30,358 schoolchildren aged 8-12 years from 18 countries were examined for flexural eczema. Parents also completed an eczema symptom questionnaire. We compared prevalence estimates at the population level based on the questionnaire vs. phys…