Are Eczema, Asthma, and Osteoarthritis Connected?

Patients with atopic dermatitis and asthma may be at an increased risk for developing osteoarthritis (OA), according to the findings published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

“Mounting evidence suggests that mast cell activation and allergic pathways may play key roles in OA pathogenesis,” the researchers wrote. “This study demonstrates an association between atopic disease and the development of OA; patients may benefit from the use of treatments that inhibit mast cells and allergic cytokines to treat or prevent OA.”

For the retrospective cohort study, the team used data from the Clinformatics Data Mart database. They compared a group of 117,346 participants with asthma, atopic dermatitis, or both—termed the “exposed” cohort—to a control group of 1,247,196 participants.

The primary outcome was the development of OA. Secondary endpoints included specific instances of OA, including knee and hip.

The results suggested that OA was more common among the exposed group “at 26.9 per 1000 person-years, compared with 19.1 per 1000 person-years among the nonexposed group (OR = 1.58; 95% CI, 1.73-1.95)” Additionally, patients with both asthma and atopic dermatitis were more at risk of developing OA than the nonexposed group (OR = 2.15; 95% CI, 1.93-2.39).

Until now, treatment for OA has primarily focused on symptom management, the authors pointed out. The data from this interventional study may be beneficial in potential treatment and prevention of OA in the beginning stages.

Reference:
Baker MC, Sheth K, Lu R et al. Increased risk of osteoarthritis in patients with atopic disease. Annals of the Rheum Dis. 2023;82:866-872. DOI: 10.1136/ard-2022-223640