Atopic dermatitis in children may be linked to metabolic syndrome, liver disease

Key takeaways:

• Children with AD experienced a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome vs. controls (24% vs. 2%).
• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease was seen in 6% of children with moderate to severe AD vs. 0% of controls.

Atopic dermatitis in children may be associated with metabolic syndrome and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, according to a study.

“AD, though primarily affecting the skin, may be associated with systemic metabolic abnormalities, including metabolic syndrome (MetS), characterized by central obesity, high blood pressure, elevated fasting blood sugar, high triglyceride levels and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, that are increasingly prevalent in children,” Pratheeksha Reddy, MD, of the department of dermatology, venereology and leprology at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India, and colleagues wrote.

In addition to MetS, the authors hypothesize that children with AD also experience a higher prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, an association that has been scarcely studied.

To evaluate these relationships, the authors conducted a case-control study in India including 50 children with AD (median age, 9.5 years) matched with 50 healthy controls (median age, 11.5 years).

Regarding MetS, results showed that children with AD experienced a much higher prevalence vs. children without AD (24% vs. 2%; P = .002). Significant differences were observed between children with AD and controls when it came to blood pressure levels and waist circumference. Among children with AD, 12% exhibited systolic blood pressure levels and14% exhibited diastolic blood pressure levels that exceeded the 90th percentile for their age, sex and height vs. none of the controls (P < .001 and P = .012, respectively).

Similarly, 28% of children with AD had a waist circumference above the 90th percentile compared with 10% of children without AD (P = .04). While there was no significant difference between groups when it came to mean fasting blood sugar levels, 36% of AD patients exhibited elevated triglyceride levels vs. only 12% of controls (P = .005).

Regarding nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, this condition was seen in 6% of children with moderate to severe AD cases and was not seen at all in children without AD.

“These findings underscore the association between AD and childhood metabolic abnormalities and emphasize the need to address metabolic health in managing children with AD,” the authors concluded. “Further research is necessary to understand underlying mechanisms and develop strategies to manage metabolic risks linked with AD.”