Association between obesity and atopic dermatitis in children: A case‐control study in a high obesity prevalence population

Abstract

Background/Objective: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease.Research suggests an association between obesity and AD, although evidence is lacking from Latin American populations. This study evaluated the association of obesity with AD in children from Chile, a country with high obesity prevalence.Methods: A case-control study was performed in children with active AD (cases) and healthy controls (HCs) from Santiago, Chile. Body mass index was evaluated by z-score (z-BMI), with overweight defined as z-BMI ≥+1 and <+2, and obesity as z-BMI ≥+2. Abdominal obesity was defined by a waist circumference-to-height ratio (WHR) ≥0.5. AD severity was evaluated by Scoring AD (SCORAD) index.Results: A total of 174 children with AD and 101 controls were included. AD patients had similar overweight (27% vs. 28%) and obesity (21% vs. 26%) rates as HCs (p = .65). Abdominal obesity rates were also comparable (64% vs. 62%, p = .81). In sex-specific analyses, girls with AD had higher abdominal obesity rates than HCs (71% vs. 53%, p < .05) while boys with AD had lower abdominal obesity rates than HCs (53% vs. 75%, p = .03). Among children with AD, higher z-BMI or WHR did not correlate with higher SCORAD, eosinophil counts or total IgE. Conclusion:In our study, Chilean children with AD had high but similar rates of obesity as HCs, but showed sex-specific associations of abdominal obesity and AD. Further research is needed to evaluate these associations and the roles that weight excess and weight loss could play in the pathogenesis and treatment of AD.

Association Between Increased Body Mass Index (BMI) and Atopic Dermatitis in Children Attending a Tertiary Referral Center: A Case-Control Study

“…AD was diagnosed based on the clinical examination using the UK’s Working Party diagnostic criteria [ 7 ], and disease severity was assessed using the Scoring Atopic Dermatitis Index (SCORAD), with cases being divided into mild (SCORAD <25), moderate (SCORAD 25-50) and severe (SCORAD >50) [ 8 ]. Quality of life impairment was evaluated in the AD group using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and its children’s version for children younger than 16 years [ 9 ]. Anthropometric parameters were evaluated in all participants: weight was measured in kilograms and height in centimeters; body mass index (BMI) was calculated as shown in equation 1:…”

“…Moreover, obesity contributes to epidermal barrier dysfunction and has some shared risk factors with AD, such as poor diet and certain alterations in the intestinal microbiome [ 6 ]. Currently, data regarding the co-occurrence of AD and obesity or overweight status are controversial and debatable; some studies support this association [ 7 , 8 ], while others don’t [ 9 ]. However, studies have found a geographically variable association between obesity and AD in both children [ 10 ] and adults [ 11 ].…”

Obesity and the microbiome in atopic dermatitis: Therapeutic implications for PPAR-γ agonists

“…Studies examining obesity in infancy and childhood also found a positive association with the prevalence of AD ( 13 , 14 ). Gender differences have been identified, as only females with AD had higher abdominal obesity rates than healthy controls ( 15 ). Leptin deficiency is commonly associated with obesity; however, conflicting studies suggest it may not be directly involved in AD pathogenesis ( 16 ).…”