Atopic dermatitis negatively impacts IQ and cognition in young males

Atopic dermatitis (AD), especially when severe, is linked to reduced IQ in young males and worse school performance in children, which might hinder academic success later in life, says an article published in British Journal of Dermatology. 

Children with atopic dermatitis may have sleep disturbances, low self-esteem, and diminished quality of life, all of which may influence academic performance. In order to investigate the relationship between hospital-managed paediatric AD, academic achievement, and cognitive function, Ida Vittrup and colleagues undertook this study.

Researchers connected data from the Danish national registries in this cross-sectional analysis to identify three demographics between 2001 and 2019. Children who had completed lower secondary school were included in population 1, teenagers who had completed upper secondary school were included in population 2, and male conscripts who had taken an Intelligence test were included in population 3. Prior to the exam or conscription date, AD was defined as a hospital diagnostic code (inpatient or outpatient) and was classified based on severity, activity, and atopic comorbidity. Results included median IQ at conscription, special educational support in primary and lower secondary school, and graduation mean from lower and upper secondary school.

The key findings of this study were:

Total children and adolescents in populations 1 (lower secondary graduation), 2 (upper secondary graduation), and 3 (conscription) included 770 611 (12 137 with AD), 394 193 (6261 with AD), and 366 182 (4539 with AD). 

Children with severe AD had substantially lower overall, written, and oral graduation grade averages in lower secondary school compared to children with moderate AD: difference 0.29, difference 0.26 (95% CI 0.42 to 0.10, P = 0.0016), and difference 0.30 (95% CI 0.49 to 0.11, P = 0.0018), respectively. 

Adolescents with AD fared comparably to their classmates without AD in upper secondary school. 

For the conscription examination, young males with AD substantially underperformed male conscripts without AD: difference 0.60 (95% CI 0.87 to 0.32, P 0.001).

In conclusion, children with severe AD may require individualized educational assistance and treatment optimization.

Reference: Ida Vittrup, Yuki M F Andersen, Lone Skov, Jashin J Wu, Tove Agner, Simon F Thomsen, Alexander Egeberg, Jacob P Thyssen, The association between atopic dermatitis, cognitive function and school performance in children and young adults, British Journal of Dermatology, Volume 188, Issue 3, March 2023, Pages 341–349,