Establishing subclasses of childhood eczema, their risk factors and prognosis

Abstract

Background: The heterogeneity of development and progression of eczema suggests multiple underlying subclasses for which aetiology and prognosis may vary. A better understanding may provide a comprehensive overview of eczema development and progression in childhood. Thus, we aimed to determine longitudinal eczema subclasses based on assessments and identify their associations with risk factors and allergic outcomes. Methods: A total of 619 participants with a family history of allergic disease were assessed at 24 time-points from birth to 12 years. At each time, eczema was defined as the report of current rash treated with topical steroid-based preparations. Longitudinal latent class analysi..