The association with cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes in adults with atopic dermatitis: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

• Published in: British journal of dermatology (1951) Vol. 178; no. 6; p. e444
• Main Authors: Thyssen, J.P., Halling‐Overgaard, A.‐S., Andersen, Y.M.F., Gislason, G., Skov, L., Egeberg, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 01.06.2018
• Subjects: Angina; Angina pectoris; Atopic dermatitis; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular diseases; Cerebral infarction; Children; Coronary artery; Coronary artery disease; Dermatitis; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes mellitus (non-insulin dependent); Eczema; Heart attacks; Heart diseases; Hypertension; Meta-analysis; Myocardial infarction; Smoking
• ISSN: 0007-0963; 1365-2133
• DOI: 10.1111/bjd.16752

Summary Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common type of eczema in children, which can carry on into adulthood in some people. It has been linked to other diseases (known as ‘comorbidities’) but results from studies exploring if there is a link with type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD – a group of diseases/conditions including stroke, hypertension, myocardial infarction, angina, coronary artery disease and heart failure), have been conflicting. This study, from Denmark, analysed the 16 most relevant studies comparing the risk of CVD and diabetes for adult patients with and without AD. No association was found between AD and type 2 diabetes, hypertension, stroke or myocardial infarction, but an association was found with angina pectoris, although this was based on only four studies. The authors conclude that while, in some populations, there are higher rates of some of the factors that put people at higher risk of CVD (such as smoking and obesity), it is unlikely that AD is, in itself, a risk factor for CVD. Linked Article: Thyssen et al. Br J Dermatol 2018; 178:1272–1279