Atopic dermatitis patients more likely to develop asthma

The development of asthma is more likely in patients with persistent or severe atopic dermatitis, according to a study.

“The atopic march refers to the progression from atopic dermatitis (AD) to asthma and allergic rhinitis,” Hongmin Li, MD, PhD, of Jiangsu Province Hospital, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, and colleagues wrote. “It usually begins with AD in children and then progresses later in their lives to other manifestations of atopy, such as asthma and/or allergic rhinitis.”

With more than 339 million individuals affected by asthma and about 1,000 dying from it each year, the researchers called it “imperative” to identify and understand asthma risk factors such as AD.

In a systematic review and meta-analysis of 39 publications that included 458,810 participants, researchers calculated RR of asthma in those with multiple severities of AD.

The RR for asthma in all patients with AD was 2.16 (95% CI, 1.88-2.48). Those with persistent AD (RR = 3.36; 95% CI, 2.83-3.99) had a higher risk compared with those with transient AD (RR = 1.52; 95% CI, 1.34-1.73).

Those with severe AD (RR = 2.4; 95% CI, 1.96-2.94) had the highest risk compared with those with mild AD (RR = 1.82; 95% CI, 1.03-3.23) or moderate AD (RR = 1.51; 95% CI, 1.3-1.75).

“People with AD, especially persistent and severe AD, were more likely to progress to asthma,” the authors wrote. “This finding reinforces the importance of including atopic march when assessing the risk for developing asthma and suggests target populations for asthma prevention.”