Atopic eczema, psoriasis, and hidradenitis suppurativa are associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 3 to 5 (CKD3-5), according to a study published in the October issue of the British Journal of Dermatology.

Yochai Schonmann, M.D., from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and colleagues examined the association between CKD3-5 and atopic eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, and hidradenitis suppurativa. Two complementary analyses were conducted: a prevalent case-control study and cohort study using routinely collected primary care data. Individuals with CKD3-5 were matched with up to five individuals without CKD (56,602 cases and 268,305 controls). The prevalence of CKD3-5 was compared for individuals with and without each inflammatory skin disease.

The researchers found that after adjustment for age, sex, practice, index of multiple deprivation, diabetes, smoking, harmful alcohol use, and obesity, cases were more likely to have a history of atopic eczema, psoriasis, or hidradenitis suppurativa than controls (odds ratios, 1.14, 1.13, and 1.49, respectively), but they were slightly less likely to have been diagnosed with rosacea (odds ratio, 0.92). After adjustment for hypertension and cardiovascular disease, the results remained similar. In a cohort of 335,827 individuals with diabetes, there was no association seen for CKD3-5 incidence with atopic eczema or psoriasis.

"Further research is needed to elucidate the nature and temporal direction of this link, to account for other potential confounders and to explore whether targeted screening for CKD in people with inflammatory skin diseases is justified," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text