Association of Perceived Stress with Atopic Dermatitis in Adults: A Population-Based Study in Korea

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a widely prevalent skin disease that affects both children and adults. The aim of the study was to assess the association of perceived stress (single-item, self-reported) with AD (self-reported) in a sample of Korean adults using a cross-sectional research design. A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from 33,018 adults aged 20 years and older collected in the 2007–2012 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES). An increased level of self-reported stress was positively associated with an increased prevalence of AD in Korean adults (p for trend <0.001). After adjusting for covariates, the odds ratios (ORs) of AD among participants reporting high and very high levels of stress were 1.81 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.22, 2.67) and 2.17 (95% CI: 1.38, 3.42), respectively, compared with those who reported low levels of stress. This study found a statistically significant association between perceived stress and AD among Korean adults.

Psychological Health Status and Health-related Quality of Life in Adults with Atopic Dermatitis: A Nationwide Cross-sectional Study in South Korea

“…The results of this study are in agreement with the results of several previous reports (8,26), showing that psychological stress is significantly associated with AD in adults.…”

“…Pruritus, a major symptom of AD, has been reported to be an important factor contributing to this vicious cycle in individuals with psychological stress (21). From previously published papers, we can infer that intense pruritus, cosmetic disfigurement, and sleep loss may impose tremendous stress on patients with AD and their social relationships while; stress may also exacerbate AD skin lesions (8,12,21,(23)(24)(25).…”

“…Although it appeared to plateau at 10-20% in many developed countries, the incidence continues to increase in many developing countries (2). The prevalence of AD in adults is reportedly approximately 10% according to United States (US) population-based studies (4), and ranges from 1.8% to 4.6% according to several Asian population-based studies (5)(6)(7)(8). With an increasing prevalence in developing countries, and as one of the most common chronic diseases in developed countries, AD is currently considered a global public health concern.…”

“…However, there have been few comprehensive studies investigating the associations of AD with HRQoL and psychological comorbidities using population-based study designs (8,16,17). In addition, previous studies have mostly included paediatric and adolescent AD patients, whereas studies focusing on adult populations have been less common (16,18).…”

Psychosomatic factors of atopic dermatitis exacerbation

“…Our results showed that AD patients had significantly higher anxiety levels concerning the emotional relationships and avoided emotional relations significantly more often compared to controls. In the study of Park and Kim, a significant positive trend between stress level and AD prevalence was observed, with 1.26% of adults who felt low stress levels reporting AD, compared to 3.47% of those with high stress level. Another study by Kim et al .…”