Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may be linked to atopic dermatitis, according to a recent study published by Fuxench et al in JAMA Dermatology. In the population-based cohort study, investigators used The Health Improvement Network to analyze data from over 409,000 pediatric patients with a median age of 4 to 5 years and over 625,000 adult patients with a median age of 45 to 50 years who had atopic dermatitis, as well as nearly 4.5 million age-matched controls. Pediatric patients with atopic dermatitis had a 44% (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.31–1.58) and 74% (HR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.54–1.97) increased risk of developing new-onset IBD and Crohn’s disease, respectively; however, they did not have an increased risk of developing ulcerative colitis. Further, adult patients with atopic dermatitis had a 34% (HR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.27–1.40), 36% (HR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.26–1.47), and 32% (HR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.24–1.41) increased risk of developing new-onset IBD, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis, respectively. The investigators concluded that their findings may provide evidence of a correlation between IBD and atopic dermatitis and emphasized that physicians should consider the risk of IBD when treating patients with atopic dermatitis.
October 18, 2023