Evaluation of the therapeutic effect of environmental change in pediatric patients with atopic dermatitis
Medical Review (Med. pregled), 2026, 62(1), 47-52.
Miteva1, V. Valtchev2, M. Yancheva-Stoycheva1
1Department of Occupational Medicine, Faculty of Public Health, Medical University – Sofia
2Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Sport, National Sports Academy „Vassil Levski” – Sofia
Abstract: In 2025, a data analysis from a year-long study was conducted to evaluate the therapeutic effect of a change in habitat on the clinical picture of children with atopic dermatitis. The main objective of the study was to determine whether relocating children with this condition from an urban environment (Sofia) to rural areas in Southern Bulgaria would lead to an improvement in their itching and rashes. The study included 24 boys aged between 4 and 5 years who had been diagnosed with atopic dermatitis since birth. The results showed a significant improvement after a one-year stay in Southern Bulgaria in 2021 (a period coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic). At the beginning of the study (2020), 12 boys had severe itching, 5 had moderate itching, and 7 had mild itching. After the relocation, among the group with severe itching, four children now had moderate itching, six had mild, and for two, there was no change. Regarding the localization of the rashes, which in 2020 affected the body and limbs in 10 boys, by 2021, only one boy still had involvement on both the body and limbs; in 7, the rash remained only on the body, and in 2, it was limited to the limbs. In conclusion, the study clearly demonstrates that changing the habitat from Sofia to the rural areas of Southern Bulgaria contributes to a significant improvement in the condition of children with atopic dermatitis. These data support the hypothesis that environmental factors play a key role in the development and course of the disease.
Key words: atopic dermatitis, children, boys, survey
Address for correspondence: Prof. Iva Miteva, PhD, email: i.miteva@foz.mu–sofia.bg
ORCID: 0000-0001-8555-9812 Iva Miteva; 0000-0002-6926-646X Valentin Valtchev; 0000-0002-4009-7359 Milena Yancheva-Stoycheva