Prevalence of asthma in patients with atopic dermatitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: It is well established that asthma is common in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD).

Objectives: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the prevalence of asthma and respiratory symptoms in individuals with AD as well as the association between AD and asthma.

Methods: At least 2 authors independently searched the medical databases PubMed, EMBASE, LILACS, and SCOPUS for all English-language studies with data on asthma prevalence among patients with AD or the association between AD and asthma. Pooled odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and pooled proportions were estimated with random-effects models. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used to assess study quality.

Results: The search yielded 39,503 articles. Of these, 213 studies were included in a quantitative analysis. The overall pooled prevalence of asthma was 25.7% (95% CI, 23.7-27.7) in patients with AD and 8.1% (95% CI, 7.0-9.4) among reference individuals. There was a significant association between AD and asthma when compared with reference individuals (odds ratio, 3.03; 95% CI, 2.64-3.47).

Limitations: The definitions of AD and asthma differed across the included studies and varied from self-report to physician diagnosed.

Conclusions: Asthma is a common comorbidity of AD. Physicians should be cognizant of this relationship and address asthma symptoms in their patients.

Keywords: association; asthma; atopic dermatitis; eczema; meta-analysis; prevalence; systematic review.