Eczema patients at increased risk of osteoporotic fractures, finds study

UK: Eczema patients are at increased risk of fracture specifically major osteoporotic fractures. finds a recent study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

According to the study, the increased risk was most pronounced for major osteoporotic fractures; spinal fracture risk more than doubled in those with severe eczema compared with those without atopic eczema, whereas hip fracture rates increased by 50% and pelvic fracture rates were increased by 66%. This is concerning, given the high rates of mortality and morbidity associated with these fractures.

Atopic Dermatitis or Eczema is a chronic inflammation of the skin characterized by itchy and red skin. It affects up to 25% of children, and an estimated 60% of people with eczema develop it during their first year of life.

Some limited studies have suggested that people with eczema are at increased risk of fracture. There was a need to confirm whether these findings are true or not given the high morbidity and mortality associated with fractures.

Kathryn E. Mansfield, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom, and colleagues sought to examine whether atopic eczema is associated with fracture and whether fracture risk varies with eczema severity.

The researchers matched roughly 530,000 adults with atopic dermatitis to nearly 2.6 million without the condition, using a large UK. primary care database. Subjects were followed for a median of 4 to 5 years.

Key findings of the study include:

• Those with eczema had increased risk of hip (HR, 1.10), pelvic (HR, 1.10), spinal (HR, 1.18), and wrist (HR, 1.07) fractures.


• We found no evidence of increased proximal humeral (HR, 1.06) fracture risk.


• Fracture risk increased with increasing eczema severity, with the strongest associations in people with severe eczema (compared with those without) for spinal (HR, 2.09), pelvic (HR, 1.66), and hip (HR, 1.50) fractures.


• Associations persisted after oral glucocorticoid adjustment.

"Our results suggest that bone density screening guidelines should consider including individuals with more severe atopic eczema to prevent fractures, improve long-term quality of life, and reduce fracture-related health care costs," concluded the authors.

The study, "Atopic eczema and fracture risk in adults: A population-based cohort study," is published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.