PROFILE OF ATOPIC DERMATITIS AT THE DERMATOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF ST. LUKE'S MEDICAL CENTER QUEZON CITY, SUPER HEALTH CENTER, AND ST. MARTIN DE PORRES CHARITY HOSPITAL FROM 2007 TO 2011.

 Derrnatitis  (AD)  is  among the top  ten conditions seen in Dermatology Outpatient Department of St. Luke's Medical  Center Quezon City. To date, no study has been done to determine  the  clinical   profile of AD  in  this  institution. Conducting an epidemiological  study provides valuable information and may serve as a reference for future studies.

Objective. To determine  the clinical profile  of  patients with AD seen at the Dermatology Outpatient  Department of St. Luke's Medical Center,  Quezon City, and its extension clinics from 2007 to

2011

Methods. This is a  multi-center,  descriptive, cross-sectional study.  Records of patients diagnosed  with AD seen from January

2007 to December 2011   were retrieved and clinical data were

collected.

Results. There were 495 participants in the study,  comprising

3.4% of the dermatology patients seen, all of whom were from the lower socioeconomic brackets. Most of these patients were from the pediatric population,  with no gender predilection.  There was lack of information on the personal and family histories.  Emollients and topical  corticosteroids were  found  to  be  the  mainstay  of treatment of atopic dermatitis.  Rate of follow-up visits was low.

Conclusion. Findings  in this study were consistent with that reported in  the literature,  although  the significance  of an atopic background was not clearly established due to lack of information from the charts reviewed. The poor compliance to follow-up seen in this study may be attributed to the low  socioeconomic status of participants,   and may be detrimental  to the management and control of this chronic condition.

Key words. Atopic dermatitis, atopic eczema, clinical profile