ABSTRACT
Natural history Hospital-based studies show that 75% of patients develop their dermatitis before 6 months of age and 80-90% by 5 years of age. Fewer than 2% of patients develop the disease after 20 years of age. AD improves with age: about 50% of patients are clear of their dermatitis by 13 years of age. However, remission at puberty with recurrence in late adolescence or in the early twenties is not uncommon. Few cases persist beyond the age of 30 years. Furthermore, over 50% of patients with AD develop asthma and approximately 75% develop allergic rhinitis as they
outgrow AD. However, patients with AD can have nonallergic as well as allergic triggers similar to patients with asthma and allergic rhinitis.
