The study included nearly 1.78 million children over an average follow-up period of 7.52 years (children born between December 2009 and January 2015). Of all the children, 19% were diagnosed with atopic dermatitis.
After adjusting for variables, the risk of fractures in children with atopic dermatitis was 14% higher than in the control group. The risk increased as the severity of the disease increased, rising to +23% in children with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis.
Early onset of atopic dermatitis increased fracture risk
The risk was also increased if the diagnosis had been early +1.19 when the diagnosis had been made before the age of 2 years, +1.08 between 2 and 4 years and +1.03 at 5 years or more. On the other hand, the risk of fracture was the same depending on the location of the fracture (vertebral column, head, upper or lower limb).
Different factors involved
Lee and his colleagues suggest that the interaction of various factors may be involved. Thus diet, calcium and vitamin D intake, physical activity, quality of sleep, psychological and behavioral disorders, systemic corticosteroids and immunity could contribute to fractures.
A disease of early childhood evolving by flare-ups
atopic dermatitis or eczema atopic is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin. It is characterized by dry skin associated with inflammatory lesions (redness and itching, blisters, oozing and crusts). This non-contagious disease progresses in flare-ups and develops from the age of three months. “In babies, the lesions are most often present on the plump areas of the face and limbs, on the scalp and buttocks. Later, we find them at the level of the folds (neck, behind the knees, folds of the elbows), hands and around the mouth. The majority of atopic dermatitis disappear during childhood (50% before 5 years), but 10 to 15% of cases persist until adulthood”, explains INSERM on the page of its site devoted to the disease. Atopic dermatitis would be associated with genetic predisposition factors. But these are not the only ones and factors related to changes in the environment would also be involved.
Source : https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/all.15577