Cause specific mortality in adults with atopic dermatitis

Publication date: Available online 2 November 2017
Source:Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
Author(s): Jacob P. Thyssen, Lone Skov, Alexander Egeberg
BackgroundAdult atopic dermatitis (AD) has been associated with several co-morbidities, but cause-specific mortality risk is unknown.ObjectivesTo examine cause-specific death rates and risk in adults with AD.MethodsWe performed cross-linkage of nationwide health care and cause of death registers. Adult patients with AD were matched with 10 controls per study subject. We calculated incidence rates per 1,000 person-years and hazard ratios (HRs) of cause-specific death with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) using Cox proportional hazards models.ResultsA total of 8,686 patients and 86,860 matched controls were studied. The risk of death, due to any cause, was significantly increased in patients with AD (HR 1.27, 95%CI 1.11-1.45). Significant causes included cardiovascular (HR 1.45; 95%CI 1.07-1.96), infectious (HR 3.71; 95% CI 1.43-9.60) and urogenital diseases (HR 5.51; 95%CI 1.54-19.80). No increased risk of death due to cancer, endocrine, neurological, psychiatric, respiratory, or gastroenterological disease was observed.LimitationsThe results might not be generalizable to patients seen exclusively by primary care physicians.ConclusionsAdults with atopic dermatitis had slightly increased risk of death during follow-up. While the risk of death from cardiovascular, urogenital, and infectious diseases was slightly elevated among patients with AD, the absolute risk was very low.