Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 May 28:15:1469-1478.
doi: 10.2147/NDT.S191509. eCollection 2019.

Cross-sectional study of psychiatric comorbidities in patients with atopic dermatitis and nonatopic eczema, urticaria, and psoriasis

Hye-Jin Ahn  1 , Min Kyung Shin  1 , Jong-Kil Seo  1 , Su Jin Jeong  2 , Ah Rang Cho  3 , Sun-Hee Choi  4 , Bark-Lynn Lew  5
Affiliations

Cross-sectional study of psychiatric comorbidities in patients with atopic dermatitis and nonatopic eczema, urticaria, and psoriasis

Hye-Jin Ahn et al. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. .

Abstract

Background: Recent data suggest depression has been linked to chronic skin diseases, including atopic dermatitis (AD), urticaria, and psoriasis. This study compared mental illnesses in patients with AD with those of patients with nonatopic eczema, urticaria, and psoriasis in Korea. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used, analyzing data from the 2015 Korean National Health Insurance Research Database, a survey of 42,641 AD and 139,486 non-AD (nonatopic eczema, urticaria, and psoriasis) patients (103,938 males, 78,189 females) classified by age: infant, aged 0-3 years; early childhood, aged 4-8 years; late childhood, aged 9-12 years; adolescent, aged 13-18 years; adult, aged 19-64 years; elderly, aged above 65 years. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed, and the odds ratio (OR) of various mental illnesses - attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), conduct disorder, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, schizophrenia, and sleep disorder - were calculated for patients with and without AD. Results: The incidence of depression was not significantly different between AD and non-AD patients. Severe AD showed a high OR of depression (moderate AD OR=1.75; severe AD OR=3.15, P<0.0001). Patients with AD had significantly higher incidence of ADHD (OR=1.48; 95% CI=1.27-1.72), ASD (OR=1.54; 95% CI=1.19-1.99), and conduct disorder (OR=2.88; 95% CI=1.52-5.45). Conclusion: Patients with AD were not found to have higher incidence of depression than non-AD patients. However, severe AD patients were determined to have a significantly higher incidence of depression. Therefore, the severity of dermatitis is thought to contribute to depression. Mental illnesses found to be significantly higher in AD patients were ADHD, ASD, and conduct disorder.

Keywords: Korean National Health Insurance Research Database; atopic dermatitis; mental illness.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

References

    1. Silverberg JI, Garg NK, Paller AS, Fishbein AB, Zee PC. Sleep disturbances in adults with eczema are associated with impaired overall health: a US population-based study. J Invest Dermatol. 2015;135:56–66. doi:10.1038/jid.2014.325 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kim JP, Chao LX, Simpson EL, Silverberg JI. Persistence of atopic dermatitis (AD): a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2016;75:681–7.e11. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2016.05.028 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Asher MI, Montefort S, Bjorksten B, et al. Worldwide time trends in the prevalence of symptoms of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, and eczema in childhood: ISAAC phases one and three repeat multicountry crosssectional surveys. Lancet. 2006;368:733–743. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(06)69283-0 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Wittkowski A, Richards HL, Griffiths CE, et al. The impact of psychological and clinical factors on quality of life in individuals with atopic dermatitis. J Psychosom Res. 2004;57:195–200. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2004.04.371 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Yaghmaie P, Koudelka CW, Simpson EL. Mental health comorbidity in patients with atopic dermatitis. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2013;131:428–433. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2012.10.041 - DOI - PMC - PubMed