Atopic Dermatitis Associated with Risk for Eating Disorders

Newswise — Patients living with atopic dermatitis (AD), also known as eczema, are at significantly higher risk for various eating disorders, according to a new study from researchers at Yale School of Medicine and Yale School of Public Health.

Eczema is an inflammatory skin condition causing persistent itching and sleep disruption, as well as social stigmatization due to visibile lesions on the skin. Previous research has linked eczema to mental health disorders including depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and schizophrenia.

In the current study, a Yale team investigated health records from more than 12,000 patients with AD and more than 254,000 patients without AD. They found that individuals with AD were about twice as likely as those without to suffer from anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, and more than twice as likely to suffer from binge eating disorder.

"Early detection of eating disorders is essential," said Jeffrey Cohen, MD, Assistant Professor of Dermatology and of Biomedical Informatics & Data Science and senior author of the study, "and understanding that those with eczema are at higher risk may help with early diagnosis."

Study authors point to a number of possible causes for the association, including the psychological burden of negative body image imposed by AD and the role eating disorders may serve as a coping mechanism. They say it's also possible the chronic, low-grade inflammation associated with AD could play a role, and further research is needed to fully understand the link between eczema and mental health.

"Both eczema and eating disorders have a large impact on an individual's life," Dr. Cohen says, "and understanding the connection between the two will allow all members of the healthcare team to care for patients as completely as possible.