Periauricular Eczematization in Childhood Atopic Dermatitis

Abstract: We investigated the prevalence of periauricular eczematization (PAE) in children with atopic dermatitis (AD) in Korea, and evaluated the clinical significance of the lesion in terms of Its treatment in relation to a possible pathogenetic role for Staphylococcus aureus. Tentatively, PAE was classified as infraauricular and postauricular fissuring, which were observed in 62 (57,9%) and 37 (34.6%) of 107 patients, respectively. Sixty eight patients (64.5%) had infraauricular or postauricular fissures, or both, and this prevalence was significantly (p < 0.01) higher than that in controls (1.3%). Staphylococcus aureus was cultured from oozing material from infraauricular fissures in 12 of 14 patients, and topical application of erythromycin cream to the ear lesions led to faster and more definite improvement. Our study shows that PAE is a characteristic clinical manifestation of AD, probably induced by S. aureus. Topical antibiotics are worth trying for effective management of this disorder.