The management of skin diseases represents a major burden for health care systems. These conditions can have a considerable impact on the quality of life of the affected patients and in some cases cause disability.

Globally, in 2010, skin conditions were the fourth cause of nonfatal disease burden in terms of years lost due to disability and skin disease posed the 18th highest burden in terms of loss of health due to premature death expressed as disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).1

Epidemiological data on skin diseases vary widely between countries and populations. One methodology frequently used for these studies is to obtain data by way of questionnaires or interviews. When correctly implemented, these methods can provide valuable information on prevalence and incidence, despite the low response rates typical of this type of study.

The objective of the study by Carvalho et al.2 reported in this issue was to investigate the epidemiology of the prevalence of eczema and urticaria in Portugal using a telephone survey to obtain the data. In the authors’ opinion, the study has contributed to the knowledge of the epidemiology of these diseases by providing updated data on the adult population. The exhaustive sample provides a good representation of the population in general in terms of region and sex, and the study detected significant differences between groups.

Hopefully, future studies will allow us to analyze in greater detail explanatory factors and differences in the care provided, the treatments used, and the cost of care.