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Adults with atopic dermatitis susceptible to autoimmune diseases

Adults with atopic dermatitis had a higher susceptibility of autoimmune diseases compared with controls, with a significantly higher occurrence in smokers, according to recently published results of a population-based study.

Researchers used nationwide registries to compare occurrence of autoimmune diseases in 8,112 adult patients with a hospital diagnosis of atopic dramatis (AD) between 1997 and 2012 in Denmark and 40,560 matched controls. The mean age of the patients in both cohorts was 42.4 years; 61.42% were women.

About 14.3% of the AD cohort had a history of smoking vs. 8.61% of the control population.

Autoimmune diseases significantly associated with AD included alopecia areata, vitiligo, chronic urticaria, celiac disease, chronic glomerulonephritis, Sjögren syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn’s disease, unspecified inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis and rheumatoid arthritis.

AD also was associated with multiple autoimmune comorbidities.

Patients with AD who had a history of smoking were significantly associated with at least one autoimmune comorbidity (age- and sex-adjusted OR = 1.37; 95% CI, 1.13-1.66).

Limitations of the study include that there was no information about the severity of AD or the degree of tobacco consumption, per the release.

“Our findings show a susceptibility of autoimmune diseases in patients with AD, in particular in smokers, although the exact mechanisms of association are unknown,” the researchers concluded. “These are observational data, and we therefore cannot make conclusions about causality. Nevertheless, clinicians who care for patients with AD should be aware of the link with autoimmune disease and discourage smoking in their patients.” – by Bruce Thiel

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.