In a recent study published in the British Journal of Dermatology, individuals with atopic dermatitis, or eczema, were more likely to also have various autoimmune diseases, especially those involving the skin, the gastrointestinal tract, or the connective tissue.
For the study, researchers analyzed Swedish national health care registers and compared 104,832 cases of atopic dermatitis with 1,022,435 controls.
Additional studies are needed to identify subsets of patients with atopic dermatitis at higher risk for autoimmune diseases, and to explore whether the severity and treatment of atopic dermatitis may affect its association with these conditions.
"Greater awareness, screening, and monitoring of autoimmune comorbidities may relieve the disease burden in patients with atopic dermatitis and may give deeper insight into its pathogenesis," said lead author Lina U. Ivert, of the Karolinska Institutet, in Sweden.
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Journal
British Journal of Dermatology