Children with atopic dermatitis experience the ‘worst itch’ in the early evening or bedtime, approximately 3 hours before they fall asleep, observes a recent study published in the journal Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. The study, by Dr Brian T. Cheng and team at the Department of Allergy and Immunology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, included a cross-sectional survey of 240 parent-child dyads to find that children and adolescents with atopic dermatitis experienced itching during the week peaks at 7 pm. The team said that their cohort included 60 children aged 1 to 4 years, 120 children aged 5 to 12 years and 60 adolescents aged 13 to 17 years. They also added that the exacerbation may be triggered by evening rituals such as bathing, use of hot water and soap and changes in clothes.