Poor mental health found to be common comorbidity with atopic dermatitis

Key takeaways:

• More than 90% of people with atopic dermatitis experienced poor mental health symptoms at least 1 day per month.
• Less than half of participants were referred to mental health services by their allergist.

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Patients with atopic dermatitis have an increased likelihood of developing anxiety and depression, according to a poster presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting.

“The theme of this ACAAI meeting is ‘embracing the evolution of patient care,’” Allison Loiselle, PhD, senior manager of data science and research at the National Eczema Association, told Healio. “At the National Eczema Association, we emphasize the value and importance of a patient-centered approach to care, and we recognize the critical role for allergists to foster this evolution by incorporating mental health discussions into a holistic care approach for AD.”

Loiselle and colleagues surveyed adults with AD and caregivers of children with AD about eczema care and discussions they had with their provider about mental health.

Out of 954 respondents, 224 (23.5%) were seeing an allergist for eczema, and 124 (13%) said their allergist was their primary eczema provider.

Of the respondents seeing an allergist as their primary eczema provider, 90.3% of respondents reported experiencing at least 1 day of poor mental health per month. More specifically, 72.6% reported poor mental health symptoms for 1 to 10 days per month, whereas 17.7% reported poor mental health symptoms 11 days or more.

Approximately one-third of respondents (35.5%) never brought up mental health with their allergist, and a majority (57.2%) said their allergist never asked about it. Less than half of participants (45.1%) were referred to mental health services by their allergist.

“Since the presence of multiple comorbidities exacerbates the connection between AD and mental health, allergists are in a unique position to alleviate the symptom-associated emotional burden of AD and other atopic conditions,” Loiselle said. “There is an opportunity to enhance the standard of care by inviting discussion around mental health with patients, and by an awareness and willingness to refer to mental health resources and other healthcare professionals who can help.”

Reference:

• Survey: 72% of eczema patients suffered poor mental health symptoms for 1-10 days in past month. https://acaai.org/news/survey-72-of-eczema-patients-suffered-poor-mental-health-symptoms-for-1-10-days-in-past-month/. Published Nov. 9, 2023. Accessed Nov. 9, 2023.