Discussing the Global Prevalence of Seborrheic Dermatitis, with Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD

A recent systematic review and meta-analysis formed an estimation of the prevalence around the world of seborrheic dermatitis, assessing demographics and differences among various settings.¹

The analysis was led by several investigators, 1 of whom was Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD, clinical associate professor of medicine for the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. In a new interview with the HCPLive editorial team, Chovatiya described his team’s findings on the skin disorder and the implications for clinicians.

“The bottom line result was that, you know, prevalence probably falls somewhere between four and 5% for this disease,” Chovatiya explained. “I think that makes sense and really puts it in a place that is right where we think about diseases like typical atopic dermatitis and psoriasis as well. It's really something that is, indeed, as common as we suspect that it was. In fact, it's probably a bit higher than some more recent estimates, including the global burden of disease as well.”

Chovatiya and colleagues looked at global prevalence of seborrheic dermatitis using the PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from their study’s inception through to October 2023. There were 121 studies included, with the team evaluating 1260163 patients and finding a pooled global prevalence of 4.38% (95% CI, 3.58%-5.17%), adding that there was significant heterogeneity.

“Additionally, what we found is that it seemed to be more common in adults than children, based on the estimates that we saw,” Chovatiya said. “There were also different parts of the world, particularly in certain tropical climates in Asia, where it looked like maybe there was slightly higher prevalence. Even though we said the prevalence is around 4 and a half percent or so in the US, this number maybe was closer to about 5%, but I think the staggering takeaway is that this is something that we see all the time.”

For additional information, view the full interview segment posted above.

The quotes contained in this summary were edited for clarity. Relevant disclosures for Chovatiya include his work for AbbVie, Apogee Therapeutics, Arcutis, Argenx, ASLAN Pharmaceuticals, Beiersdorf, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Cara Therapeutics, Dermavant, Eli Lilly and Company, FIDE, Galderma, Genentech, Incyte, Janssen, LEO Pharma, L’Oréal, Nektar Therapeutics, Novan, Inc., Opsidio, Pfizer Inc., Regeneron, RAPT, Sanofi, and UCB.

References

1. ^{Polaskey MT, Chang CH, Daftary K, Fakhraie S, Miller CH, Chovatiya R. The Global Prevalence of Seborrheic Dermatitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JAMA Dermatol. 2024 Jul 3:e241987. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2024.1987. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38958996; PMCID: PMC11223058.}