OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the management and socio-economic consequences of AD on patients and parents of children with AD in France. METHODS: Retrospective crossectional study in a representative national sample of patients suffering from AD has been conducted between March and June 2002. One hundred children and 90 adults have been recruited from a representative panel of 4012 individuals of the general population. Data was collected on aspects of the disease, medical resource use and Quality of Life (QoL). RESULTS: On average, the mean time spent with AD during the last year was 131 days; 26% of patients reported having symptomatic AD all the time, the other patients had 5.5 flares on average. Mean duration of the last flare in the overall sample was 21 days. Ninety percent of the patients consulted a physician during the last year for their AD. Sixty-two percent of adults had usually seen a general practitioner (GP) and/or a dermatologist (57%). Fourty-one percent of adults and 42% of children had seen a GP exclusively. None of the patients interviewed were hospitalized for AD during the last 12 months. We estimated the annual medical and non-medical cost of AD in France at €128 million per year, physician consultations accounting for 59% of this cost. AD impairs significantly the patients and parents QoL. Adults declared having no relieve from it (40%), being worried about their appearance (36%), finding it hard to relax (33%), having no self-confidence (24%). Parents reported having no control over the disease (53%), are worried about the future of their children (17%) and 13 % said AD created much tension in the family. CONCLUSION: This unprecedented study shows that AD signs and symptoms affect patients for one-third of the year on average, producing a significant socio-economic burden on the patients and their family