OBJECTIVES: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common childhood chronic skin condition. Despite high disease prevalence, up to 20% in some populations, little information is available regarding the burden of disease to children and parent/caregivers. An objective of this study was to assess the impact of AD on parents'/caregivers' quality-of-life. METHODS: In total, 414 AD patients, between 2-12 years old were identified through a retrospective review of outpatient billing records from January, 2001 to December, 2004 from two large physician practices and were contacted to enroll in the study. Data collected included patient demographics, comorbidities, treatments, and health care resource use. Parents also completed the Parent's Index of Quality of Life-Atopic Dermatitis (PIQoL-AD), a 28-item, validated questionnaire evaluating parents' needs-based quality-of-life. Total PIQoL-AD scores can range from zero to 28, with a higher score indicating greater impaired quality-of-life. One-way analysis of variance was used to determine statistical significance. RESULTS: Mean patient age was 6.7 (SD±3.3) years and 55% of patients were males. Mean duration and treatment of illness were 3.0±2.2 years and 20.7±21.4 months, respectively. Parents' assessment of disease severity indicated that 82% of patients had mild AD and 13% of patients had moderate AD. Patients reporting at least one flare experienced 2.8±2.3 flares per month; mean duration of flares was 5.2±7.0 days. Disease flares negatively impacted parents' quality-of-life. PIQoL-AD scores worsened among those parents whose child had disease flares. Mean PIQoL-AD scores were statistically significantly higher (5.9±5.4 vs. 3.0±3.6, p<0.0001) for those parents whose child had disease flares compared to those who did not have disease flares. CONCLUSIONS: Study findings will improve our understanding of the impact of AD on children and their parents/caregivers and may enhance treatment effects, clinical outcomes, and patient and parent/caregiver education. Further investigation is needed to understand the impact of atopic dermatitis on parents' quality-of-life.