Pediatric patients with overweight during early childhood may have a 15% higher risk of developing atopic dermatitis, according to a recent study.

In the study, published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, investigators examined the relationship between childhood weight changes and the development of atopic dermatitis (AD). They analyzed data from a cohort of over 2 million Korean pediatric patients, revealing that a transition from normal weight to overweight during early childhood was associated with an increased risk of AD. The adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for this weight transition was 1.15 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11–1.20). Conversely, a reduction from overweight to normal weight was associated with a decreased risk of AD (adjusted HR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.81–0.94).

The investigators also discovered an increased risk for other immune-mediated skin conditions such as psoriasis and alopecia areata (AA) among pediatric patients with preexisting obesity. However, the correlation between weight changes and these conditions was not statistically significant, likely because of the lower incidence of psoriasis and AA in the age group studied.

The study observed that pediatric patients with obesity between 30 to 36 months and had no previous dermatologic conditions showed a higher likelihood of developing AD, psoriasis, or AA by 40 to 48 months. However, the association was notably stronger for AD, with weaker correlations found for psoriasis and AA, where statistical significance was only reached for AD.

The mechanisms underlying the association between obesity and AD included chronic inflammation, dysregulated immune responses, and impaired skin barrier function attributed to excessive adipose tissue. These findings suggested that early weight management may play a role in preventing AD.

The authors reported no conflicts of interest.