Risk of epilepsy among patients with atopic dermatitis: a nationwide longitudinal study

Abstract

Objective: Both atopic dermatitis and epilepsy have been regarded as chronic inflammatory diseases. However, their association has yet to be investigated.

Methods: Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, 35,312 patients with atopic dermatitis but without a history of epilepsy, and 35,312 age-/gender-matched controls were enrolled between 1998 and 2008, and followed to the end of 2011 to identify the development of epilepsy.

Results: Subjects with atopic dermatitis had a higher incidence of developing epilepsy (0.94 vs. 0.27/1,000 person-years, p < 0.001) than the control group. The Cox regression model showed that atopic dermatitis increased the risk of developing epilepsy (hazard ratio [HR] 2.91, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.23-3.82) after adjusting for demographic data and medical comorbidities. Sensitivity tests showed consistent findings (HR 2.32, 95% CI 1.68-2.96) after excluding the first year of observation. In addition, asthma (HR 1.34, 95% CI 1.04-1.72) and allergic rhinitis (HR 1.34, 95% CI 1.04-1.73) were related to the risk of epilepsy.

Significance: Subjects with atopic dermatitis were associated with an increased risk of developing epilepsy in later life. Further studies would be needed to investigate the underlying mechanisms.

Keywords: Atopic dermatitis; Comorbidities; Epilepsy.