Pediatric patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) have an increased prevalence and incidence of type 2 inflammatory diseases, according to a study published online Oct. 28 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Amy S. Paller, M.D., from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, and colleagues examined the prevalence and incidence of type 2 inflammatory diseases in pediatric AD patients. The prevalence of conjunctivitis, rhinitis, urticaria, asthma, eosinophilic esophagitis, and chronic rhinosinusitis/nasal polyps was assessed in the 12 months after the first AD diagnosis date for AD patients and in the 12 months from a randomly selected outpatient visit for controls. Data were included for 244,776 AD patients and matched non-AD patients.

The researchers found that AD patients had a higher prevalence and incidence of type 2 inflammatory diseases. For asthma, eosinophilic esophagitis, urticaria, and rhinitis, the prevalence more than doubled; there was an increase in prevalence with AD severity.

"This study finds that the burden of type 2 inflammatory diseases in pediatric patients with AD is substantial and goes beyond skin manifestations and what has been referred to as the atopic march," the authors write. "These results emphasize the need for an early recognition and multidisciplinary approach in the management of patients with AD to optimize pharmacological treatments and mitigate the overall disease burden."

Several authors disclosed financial ties to pharmaceutical companies, including Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Sanofi, which funded the study.

Abstract/Full Text