Almost half of people in Europe have a skin problem or disease, new EADV survey reveals via EurekAlert

LUGANO, 1 October, 2021 – Results of a new EADV survey released today show that almost half (47.9%) of the European general population more than 18 years old declared at least one dermatological condition in the past 12 months. The European Academy of Dermatology and Venerology (EADV) is revealing initial findings from its Burden of Skin Diseases in Europe survey for the first time during its 30^th Annual Congress.

The study is the largest ever undertaken of its kind in Europe. Data has now been collected from 44,689 adults from 27 European countries, including all countries from the European Union as well as the UK, Norway and Switzerland.

Preliminary findings show that among 21,401 members of the general population, 47.9% of people 18 years of age or older self-reported at least one skin condition. On average, those people affected declared a median of two skin diseases.

Projecting these figures to the total NEUKS (Norway, European Union, UK and Switzerland) population of 408M inhabitants aged 18 years shows that more than 195M adults in Europe self-reported at least one skin condition.

The most common skin conditions among those surveyed is fungal skin infection, affecting almost 1 in 10 people (9.07%). Other common conditions, each affecting more than 1 in 20 people, were atopic dermatitis (eczema) (5.34%), alopecia (5.22%), and acne (5.49%). Furthermore, skin symptoms / unpleasant skin sensations including tightness and itch as a specific consultation request were reported by 20% of people 18 years of age or older.