Moderate-to-Severe Atopic Dermatitis May Affect Growth in Children: Study

A new study published in the journal of Pediatric Dermatology showed that when compared to age- and sex-matched reference percentiles, children with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis, ages 5 to 11, had shorter height but greater weight and body mass index (BMI).

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, recurrent inflammatory skin illness that can significantly affect quality of life and impose a significant disease burden if not properly managed. Persistent pruritus can disrupt sleep and produce exhaustion, while long-term use of topical or systemic corticosteroids can also impair sleep and potentially impact linear growth. Furthermore, systemic inflammation linked with Alzheimer's disease may interfere with normal infant development. As a result, children with moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease, particularly those taking oral corticosteroids or suffering sleep disturbances, may have reduced growth and development.

PEDISTAD is a real-world observational study of children patients with moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease who have not responded well to topical therapy or for whom such treatments are unsuitable. This study used growth data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to determine if moderate-to-severe AD was related to slower development in children participating in PEDISTAD compared to healthy children, therefore giving evidence to influence treatment decisions.

The enrollment data from PEDISTAD, a global real-world observational study of juvenile patients with moderate-to-severe AD under the age of twelve, was analyzed cross-sectionally. Of the 1329 kids with moderate-to-severe AD, 53% of the girls and 72% of the boys between the ages of 5 and 12 were under the 50th percentile for height.

On the other hand, 56% of boys and 52% of girls aged 5 to less than 12 had weights over the 50th percentile, which led to BMI levels that were above average. For 59% and 50% of female children and 52% and 42% of male children in the 0–5 age groups, respectively, height and weight were above the 50th percentile.

Overall, children aged 5 to under 12 who have moderate-to-severe AD may have lower pediatric development and higher BMI, with male children more impacted in terms of height. Additionally, the entire population included in this investigation showed increased weight and, thus, higher BMI.

Reference:

Paller, A. S., Irvine, A. D., Baselga, E., de Graaf, M., Siegfried, E. C., Cork, M. J., Ramien, M., Eichenfield, L. F., Adams, B., Gupta, R., Ardeleanu, M., & Zhang, A. (2026). Growth assessment in children under 12 years with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis included in the PEDISTAD observational registry. Pediatric Dermatology, (pde.70335). https://doi.org/10.1111/pde.70335