Broad spectrum of comorbidities may be common in children with atopic dermatitis

Children with atopic dermatitis were more likely to experience a broad array of comorbidities than matched controls, from mental health conditions such as anxiety to dermatologic complications such as vitiligo, according to a study.

“Increasing evidence points to the systemic nature of atopic dermatitis (AD), a common inflammatory skin condition in children,” Amy H. Huang, MD, MPH, of the department of dermatology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, and colleagues wrote. “However, comprehensive analyses of real-world comorbidities in pediatric AD are limited.”

The researchers queried the MarketScan Commercial Claims database for 2017 data on individuals aged younger than 18 years with AD. The search yielded 86,969 pediatric patients with AD and 116,564 matched controls.

Results indicated that mental health parameters such as anxiety and ADHD were elevated in the AD population compared with controls.

Compared with controls, an association between AD and MRSA was observed, as were associations between AD and both vitiligo and alopecia areata. Lymphoid/hematologic malignancies were more common in the AD population compared with controls, along with ocular disorders, metabolic syndrome and obesity.

Looking deeper into the findings, seborrheic dermatitis was also more common in AD compared with controls, as were carbuncles/furuncles, impetigo, cellulitis, molluscum contagiosum, viral warts, eczema herpeticum and coxsackie viral infection.

Superficial mycosis/candidiasis was more likely in children with AD compared with controls, as were ichthyosis vulgaris and keratosis pilaris.

All of these associations were significant (P < .001 for all comparisons).

The researchers noted that the findings were limited by the retrospective nature of the analysis.

“AD in pediatric patients is associated with a wide range of psychological and systemic comorbidities,” the researchers wrote. “Increased awareness can help minimize negative effects on quality of life and prevent long-term health consequences in young patients with AD.”