A national study of paediatric hospital admissions for eczema has found inequity in admissions for Māori and Pacific children, and those living in areas of greatest deprivation. Admissions for children aged ≤14 years were assessed between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2019, while dispensing records for topical corticosteroids for children aged ≤15 years were assessed between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2020. The overall annual rate of paediatric hospital admission for eczema was 79.2 per 100 000 persons. The rate was significantly higher for Māori and Pacific children (rate ratios 6.19 and 12.35, respectively) compared with European/other children, and for those of low (rate ratio 3.89) compared with high socioeconomic status. Topical corticosteroids were not dispensed prior to admission in almost one third of children aged <1 year and just under one fifth of school-aged children. In the 12 months following hospital admission, <15% of children were not dispensed topical corticosteroids.
