Frequency of Atopic Dermatitis and Psoriasis in the Elderly: Cross-Sectional Findings from the German AugUR Study.

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

Immunosenescence in Older Patients with Psoriasis: Mechanistic Insights and Opportunities for Biologic Therapy.Psoriasis (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026
Review
Real-World Experience of Guselkumab in the Elderly Population.Psoriasis (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2025
Article

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Karl Philipp DrewitzInstitute of Social Medicine and Health Systems Research, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.

Klaus J StarkDepartment of Genetic Epidemiology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.

Martina E ZimmermannDepartment of Genetic Epidemiology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.

Iris M HeidDepartment of Genetic Epidemiology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.

Christian J ApfelbacherInstitute of Social Medicine and Health Systems Research, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionAtopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis appear to affect 2-3% (lifetime prevalence) people worldwide. However, there are little epidemiological data on the prevalence of those two chronic inflammatory skin diseases in the elderly. The aim of this study was to provide frequency estimates of AD and psoriasis obtained from an elderly population in Germany.

methodsWe examined baseline data from the AugUR study, a cohort study focusing on an aging population in the city and the vicinity of Regensburg, Germany. We estimated raw frequencies of physician-diagnosed AD and psoriasis from participants' self-reports in personal interviews. These frequencies were adjusted to reflect the demographic distribution of the Bavarian population, considering both sex and age groupings spanning 5 or 10 years and reported with 95% confidence interval (CI).

resultsData from 1,133 participants aged 70-95 (median age 76.7 years, 45.1% women) were available for analysis. Physician-diagnosed AD was reported by 3.3% (95% CI: 2.3-4.5) of participants (2.4% from men, 4.3% from women) and 5.6% (95% CI: 4.3-7.1%) reported physician-diagnosed psoriasis (6.6% in men, 4.3% in women). Age- and sex-standardized frequency estimates for AD were 3.4% (95% CI: 2.4-4.6, 2.6% in men, 4.3% in women) and 5.3% for psoriasis (95% CI: 4.1-6.8, 6.3% in men and 4.1% in women).

conclusionThis study indicates a lower than previously reported lifetime prevalence of AD (3.4% vs. 8-10%) and a higher one regarding psoriasis (5.3% vs. 2-4%) in highly aged individuals. More epidemiological research in elderly populations using validated physician diagnoses is desirable.

introductionAtopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis appear to affect 2-3% (lifetime prevalence) people worldwide. However, there are little epidemiological data on the prevalence of those two chronic inflammatory skin diseases in the elderly. The aim of this study was to provide frequency estimates of AD and psoriasis obtained from an elderly population in Germany.

methodsWe examined baseline data from the AugUR study, a cohort study focusing on an aging population in the city and the vicinity of Regensburg, Germany. We estimated raw frequencies of physician-diagnosed AD and psoriasis from participants' self-reports in personal interviews. These frequencies were adjusted to reflect the demographic distribution of the Bavarian population, considering both sex and age groupings spanning 5 or 10 years and reported with 95% confidence interval (CI).

resultsData from 1,133 participants aged 70-95 (median age 76.7 years, 45.1% women) were available for analysis. Physician-diagnosed AD was reported by 3.3% (95% CI: 2.3-4.5) of participants (2.4% from men, 4.3% from women) and 5.6% (95% CI: 4.3-7.1%) reported physician-diagnosed psoriasis (6.6% in men, 4.3% in women). Age- and sex-standardized frequency estimates for AD were 3.4% (95% CI: 2.4-4.6, 2.6% in men, 4.3% in women) and 5.3% for psoriasis (95% CI: 4.1-6.8, 6.3% in men and 4.1% in women).

conclusionThis study indicates a lower than previously reported lifetime prevalence of AD (3.4% vs. 8-10%) and a higher one regarding psoriasis (5.3% vs. 2-4%) in highly aged individuals. More epidemiological research in elderly populations using validated physician diagnoses is desirable.

Indexed as

Dermatitis, AtopicPsoriasisAgedAged, 80 and overCohort StudiesCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleGermanyHumansMalePrevalenceAge researchAtopic dermatitisChronic inflammatory skin diseasesDermato-epidemiologyEczemaPsoriasis