MONDAY, Dec. 22, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- Iron deficiency without anemia is a common feature of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD), according to a study published online Nov. 27 in Nutrients.

Małgorzata Ponikowska, from Wroclaw Medical University in Poland, and colleagues characterized iron status in patients with AD and examined its relationship with disease severity and quality of life. The analysis included 86 adult patients with moderate-to-severe AD.

The researchers found that abnormalities in circulating iron biomarkers, indicative of iron deficiency, were prevalent in patients with AD: 45 percent of patients had low transferrin saturation (Tsat; <20 percent), 37 percent low ferritin, and 26 percent reduced serum iron, despite largely normal hemoglobin. Patients with pro-inflammatory activation (as measured by elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein >5 mg/L) had a pattern characterized by lower iron and Tsat and higher soluble transferrin receptor levels. Lower serum iron remained associated with worse Dermatology Life Quality Index scores in a multivariable analysis, while higher transferrin was associated with greater disease severity, measured by the Eczema Area and Severity Index and SCORing Atopic Dermatitis.

"In conclusion, our study identifies dysregulated iron homeostasis -- indicative of iron deficiency -- as a prevalent systemic feature of atopic dermatitis. These disturbances are linked to disease severity and impaired quality of life, suggesting that altered iron metabolism may represent a potentially modifiable systemic correlate of the AD phenotypes," the authors write. "Future studies should explore whether targeted correction of iron deficiency can improve patient outcomes."

Abstract/Full Text