In a new study, researchers found that atopic eczema is linked to increased fracture risk in adults.
It is the largest to date examining the relationship between atopic eczema and fractures.
The research was led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
Atopic eczema is a common skin condition, affecting 1 in 5 children and up to 1 in 10 adults in the UK and is becoming more common globally.
Of those with atopic eczema, 30% have moderate to severe disease with approximately 5% having severe disease. Symptoms include intense itch, pain, sleeplessness and low self-esteem.
Previous research has shown links between atopic eczema and osteoporosis, a condition that weakens bones and makes them more likely to break, and between atopic eczema and fracture.
However, this is the first evidence that eczema precedes fractures and that fracture risk increases with more severe eczema.
The team analyzed the health records of three million adults in the UK.
They examined the differences in an increased risk of major osteoporotic fractures—hip, pelvis, spine, proximal humerus, and wrist) between patients diagnosed with eczema and those without eczema.
They found that the risk of any fracture was up to 13% greater in people with atopic eczema compared to people without.
There was strong evidence of an association between atopic eczema and increased hip, pelvic, spinal and wrist fractures.
There was weaker evidence for an increase in proximal humeral fractures. The greatest increased risk was seen for spinal fractures.
People with severe atopic eczema had a dramatically increased risk of fracture: 50% more hip fractures, 66% more pelvis fractures, and more than double the risk of spine fractures.
Importantly, the increased risk of fracture in people with atopic eczema persisted even after the researchers accounted for oral corticosteroids—drugs that are used to treat eczema that is linked to increased fracture risk.
The researchers say the results are of public health importance given how common atopic eczema is and that broken bones can cause illness and death.
Future work should focus on determining the possible biological mechanisms linking atopic eczema to lowered bone density, and whether targeted screening and intervention would benefit individuals with atopic eczema.
One author of the study is Professor Sinéad Langan from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
The study is published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
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