A new cohort study has found that antihypertensive medications are associated with an increased rate of eczematous dermatitis in patients aged 60 and older. The study, which analyzed data from over 1.5 million patients in the UK, showed use of antihypertensive drugs was linked to a 29% increase in the rate of eczematous dermatitis diagnoses.

The researchers found that the association was strongest for diuretic drugs and calcium channel blockers, with a 16%-21% increased rate. In contrast, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and β-blockers showed the smallest effect sizes, with a 2%-4% increased rate. Within the diuretics class, loop and potassium-sparing diuretics had larger effect sizes compared to thiazide diuretics.

The study, published in JAMA Dermatology, used data from The Health Improvement Network (THIN), a primary care EHR database spanning from 1994-2015. Participants were followed for a median of 6 years, and the overall prevalence of eczematous dermatitis was 6.7% during the follow-up period. The absolute rate difference between those receiving antihypertensive drugs and those who did not was 3 cases per 1,000 patient-years, translating to an estimated 43,500 new cases of eczematous dermatitis annually among older adults in the UK.

Researchers noted the study had some limitations, such as the inability to assess causality or study the effect of antihypertensive discontinuation on dermatitis remission due to data constraints. Additionally, they noted, the UK population is predominantly of European descent, and the THIN database includes ethnic information for only 23.1% of its participants, which may affect the generalizability of the results to other populations.

Conflict of interest disclosures can be found in the study.