The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Epidemiology of molluscum contagiosum in children: a systematic review

Epidemiology of molluscum contagiosum in children: a systematic review
Epidemiology of molluscum contagiosum in children: a systematic review
Background. Molluscum contagiosum (MC) is a common skin condition that primarily affects children, a common reason for presenting in primary care and is commonly seen in children presenting with other conditions in primary and secondary care. It is usually asymptomatic but can present with pain, pruritus, erythema and bacterial superinfection. Aim. To synthesize the current epidemiology of MC. Design and setting. A systematic literature review of bibliographical databases on the prevalence, incidence, risk factors, age distribution and association with other conditions for MC in children. Results. Data on the epidemiology of MC is largely of poor quality. The largest incidence is in children aged between 0 and 14 years, where the incidence rate ranged from 12 to 14 episodes per 1000 children per year. Incidence rates in the UK were highest in those aged 1?4 years. Meta-analysis suggests a point prevalence in children aged 0?16 years of between 5.1% and 11.5 There is evidence for an association between swimming and having MC and MC is more common in those with eczema; however, there is little evidence for other risk factors. Conclusions. MC is a common condition, with the greatest incidence being in those aged 1?4 years. Swimming and eczema are associated with the presence of MC, but the causal relationships are unclear. There is a lack of data regarding the natural history of MC and published data are insufficient to determine temporal or geographic patterns in incidence, risk factors, duration of symptoms or transmission between family members.
0263-2136
130-136
Olsen, Jonathan
fe74760c-dd70-4e65-937a-a9c883ab71d6
Gallacher, John
a92ca535-75e3-488a-9890-255212b0328d
Piguet, Vincent
1a7fc697-331f-45c8-9fe5-f6a813084869
Francis, Nick A.
9b610883-605c-4fee-871d-defaa86ccf8e
Olsen, Jonathan
fe74760c-dd70-4e65-937a-a9c883ab71d6
Gallacher, John
a92ca535-75e3-488a-9890-255212b0328d
Piguet, Vincent
1a7fc697-331f-45c8-9fe5-f6a813084869
Francis, Nick A.
9b610883-605c-4fee-871d-defaa86ccf8e

Olsen, Jonathan, Gallacher, John, Piguet, Vincent and Francis, Nick A. (2014) Epidemiology of molluscum contagiosum in children: a systematic review. Family Practice, 31 (2), 130-136. (doi:10.1093/fampra/cmt075).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background. Molluscum contagiosum (MC) is a common skin condition that primarily affects children, a common reason for presenting in primary care and is commonly seen in children presenting with other conditions in primary and secondary care. It is usually asymptomatic but can present with pain, pruritus, erythema and bacterial superinfection. Aim. To synthesize the current epidemiology of MC. Design and setting. A systematic literature review of bibliographical databases on the prevalence, incidence, risk factors, age distribution and association with other conditions for MC in children. Results. Data on the epidemiology of MC is largely of poor quality. The largest incidence is in children aged between 0 and 14 years, where the incidence rate ranged from 12 to 14 episodes per 1000 children per year. Incidence rates in the UK were highest in those aged 1?4 years. Meta-analysis suggests a point prevalence in children aged 0?16 years of between 5.1% and 11.5 There is evidence for an association between swimming and having MC and MC is more common in those with eczema; however, there is little evidence for other risk factors. Conclusions. MC is a common condition, with the greatest incidence being in those aged 1?4 years. Swimming and eczema are associated with the presence of MC, but the causal relationships are unclear. There is a lack of data regarding the natural history of MC and published data are insufficient to determine temporal or geographic patterns in incidence, risk factors, duration of symptoms or transmission between family members.

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Accepted/In Press date: 19 October 2013
e-pub ahead of print date: 2 December 2013
Published date: 1 April 2014

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 436307
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/436307
ISSN: 0263-2136
PURE UUID: 60cbfbb9-2d93-4dc2-a8df-a4134e0e0bf5
ORCID for Nick A. Francis: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-8939-7312

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 06 Dec 2019 17:30
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 03:58

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: Jonathan Olsen
Author: John Gallacher
Author: Vincent Piguet
Author: Nick A. Francis ORCID iD

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×