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Molluscum contagiosum (MC), a self-limited, cutaneous infection caused by a pox virus, affects up to 11% of children younger than 16 years. Although MC rarely causes serious complications, it is contagious, it can exacerbate eczema and lead to social stigma, and it may take months or years to resolve.
To provide epidemiologic data on MC in children and to determine the effect of treatment, investigators conducted a retrospective chart review and parental phone survey regarding 170 children aged 15 years or younger (median age, 5 years) who received a diagnosis of MC at an outpatient dermatology clinic. Of these patients, 77% were white; 47% had a history of atopic dermatitis (AD); 2% had a history of immunodeficiency; 35% had fewer than 10 l…