Atopic Dermatitis linked to increased incidence of hypertension: Study
Atopic dermatitis (AD), particularly moderate-to-severe disease, was associated with increased hypertension compared to healthy controls, but lower odds than psoriasis, suggests a study.
The research is published in the British Journal of Dermatology.
Previous studies found conflicting results about the association of atopic dermatitis (AD) with hypertension.
M. Yousaf and associates from the Department of Dermatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA aimed to determine whether atopic dermatitis and atopic dermatitis severity are associated with hypertension.
The authors carried out a systematic review, which was performed of published studies in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, and GREAT databases.
At least 2 reviewers conducted title/abstract, full-text review, and data extraction. Quality of evidence was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.
Fifty-one studies met inclusion criteria; 19 had sufficient data for meta-analysis. Atopic dermatitis was associated with higher odds of hypertension compared to healthy controls (increased in 9 of 16 studies; pooled prevalence: 16.4% vs 13.8%; random-effects regression, pooled unadjusted odds ratio [OR][95% confidence interval]: 1.16 [1.04-1.30]), but lower odds of hypertension compared to psoriasis (decreased in 5 of 8 studies; 15.4% vs 24.8%; 0.53 [0.37-0.76]).
In particular, moderate-severe atopic dermatitis were associated with hypertension compared to healthy controls (increased in 4 of 6 studies; 24.9% vs 14.7%; 2.33 [1.10-4.94]).
Hypertension was commonly reported as an adverse-event secondary to AD treatments, particularly systemic cyclosporine A.
The study limitations included lack of longitudinal studies or individual-level data and potential confounding.
As a result, the authors concluded that atopic dermatitis particularly moderate-to-severe disease, was associated with increased hypertension compared to healthy controls, but lower odds than psoriasis.
The authors further inferred hat for patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, blood pressure screening may be warranted, ongoing care with a primary care provider should be encouraged, and general lifestyle modifications (healthy diet, exercise) should be recommended.
