SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Disorders : Autoimmune Disorders
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1539997
Atopic dermatitis and risk of autoimmune diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Provisionally accepted
- 1Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
- 2First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
- 3School of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
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Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common recurrent chronic inflammatory skin disease, and there is increasing evidence of a possible association between AD and autoimmune diseases.Objectives: This study aimed to summarize existing epidemiological studies on the association between AD and autoimmune diseases and to perform a meta-analysis of combinable results.We conducted a thorough search for cohort studies, case-control studies and cross-sectional studies across the PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases, from their inception to May 24, 2024, using medical subject headings and relevant keywords. All data were meticulously analyzed using Stata statistical software version 17.0. The protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42024547282).Result: A total of 26 cohort studies, comprising 1,629,723 patients with atopic dermatitis and 15,106,889 control subjects, were included in this meta-analysis. These studies were published between 2014 and 2024 and included 19 cohort studies, 2 case-control studies, and 5 cross-sectional studies. The current study demonstrated a significant association of atopic dermatitis with autoimmune diseases[HR 1.49, 95% CI (1.31-1.70); P<0.001], including celiac disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjogren's syndrome, ankylosing spondylitis, alopecia areata, rheumatoid arthritis, vitiligo, thyroid dysfunction, ulcerative colitis.The results of our study indicate a clear association between atopic dermatitis and autoimmune diseases, both in adults and children. Additionally, women were more likely to have autoimmune disease complications than men. However, due to the limited number of participants in our study, further research is needed to thoroughly investigate the relationship.
Keywords: atopic dermatitis, Autoimmune Diseases, Meta-analysis, adults, children Cohort studies (n=19)
Received: 05 Dec 2024; Accepted: 23 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Hongli, Chen, Wang, Cai, Li, Huang and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Lin Huang, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang Province, China
Mingzhu Wang, School of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310053, Jiangsu Province, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.