TUESDAY, Aug. 27, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Early childhood obesity may increase the risk for pediatric immune-mediated skin diseases, according to a study published online Aug. 21 in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

Seong Rae Kim, M.D., from the Seoul National University College of Medicine in South Korea, and colleagues examined associations between body mass index or body mass index changes and the development of three main immune-mediated skin diseases: alopecia areata, atopic dermatitis (AD), and psoriasis in a longitudinal cohort of roughly 2.16 million Korean children (2009 to 2020).

The researchers found that children with obesity had a significantly higher risk for pediatric immune-mediated skin diseases than those with normal weight. A higher risk for AD was seen with an increase in body mass index, while a decrease in body mass index correlated with a reduced risk for AD. Transitioning from normal weight to overweight was associated with higher AD risk compared with maintaining a normal weight (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.15). However, those with a decrease in body mass index (overweight to normal weight) had lower AD risk (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.87) versus children who maintained overweight.

"Implementing purposeful interventions, including nutritional strategies, to decrease body weight may aid in reducing the risk of developing immune-mediated skin diseases in children," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text