Abstract

Background: The skin is one of the largest targets for allergic and immunologic responses.

Methods: An online survey was conducted in China on 3,010 adults as a representative sample of the general Chinese population.

Results: 41.3% of Chinese adults (mean age 34.9 +/- 10.7 years old) reported having allergies. Reported allergies included skin allergies (83.3%), respiratory allergies (62.9%) and food allergies (51.7%), and 74.2% reported a doctor had diagnosed their allergies. 89.4% of those who reported allergies also reported experiencing associated skin reactions, they were 2 to 4 times more likely to report a cutaneous disease and were 2 times to report a sensitive skin compared to those who did not report allergies. In addition, those that reported allergies were also 2 to 3 times more likely to report experiencing skin reactions when using skincare products.

Conclusion: It is estimated that over 470 million Chinese adults report having allergies. These results will help raise the awareness among both health care professionals and general population about the burden of allergies and the need to develop solutions to mitigate their impact on health.