Background: Diagnosis of atopic dermatitis (AD) depends on clinical features because no definitive diagnostic test exists. Criteria proposed by Hanifin and Rajka (Acta Derm Venereol (Stockh) 1980; Suppl 92: 44-47) were acceptable for hospital-based studies but were found not to be suitable for field studies. A UK working party formulated clinical diagnostic criteria that could be used in both hospital and epidemiological settings. Validation studies of the criteria showed widely variable results, probably due to different clinical settings and ethnicity.
Aim and objective: This study was undertaken to validate Hanifin and Rajka's criteria and to assess the comparative efficacy of their criteria and the UK working party's diagnostic criteria in the diagnosis of AD in a hospital setting in North India.
Subjects and methods: This study serially included 101 patients with AD and 48 controls of paediatric age group. The study period was from July 2003 to December 2004.
Results: Hanifin and Rajka's criteria (sensitivity 96%, specificity 93.75%, positive predictive value 97% (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) 91.84%) had a statistical advantage over the UK working party's diagnostic criteria (sensitivity 86%, specificity 95.83%, PPV 97.75% and NPV 76.67%), with a P-value < 0.005.