AD ups risk of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in kids

In children, atopic dermatitis (AD) might be a risk factor for the development of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD), a recent study has found.

Drawing 12 years’ worth of data from the National Health Insurance Service database, researchers assessed the interaction of AD and RRD in young participants. A total of 3,142 RRD patients were included and matched to 18,852 controls. Both groups were comparable in terms of age, sex, residence, and household income.

AD was significantly more prevalent in the RRD patients (10.47 percent vs 5.53 percent; p<0.0001), as was severe AD (4.87 percent vs 1.18 percent; p<0.001).

Conditional logistic regression analysis was performed to elucidate the interaction between AD and RRD. In the first model, where the presence of AD was set as the independent variable, researchers saw that the risk of RRD was significantly elevated in those with AD even after adjusting for a history of asthma and allergic rhinitis, cataract surgery, and uveitis (odds ratio [OR], 1.61, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.39–1.87).

The second model, where AD severity was designated as the independent variable, found a similar pattern of interaction and revealed a biological gradient.

While both non-severe (OR, 1.26, 95 percent CI, 1.05–1.51) and severe (OR, 2.88, 95 percent CI, 2.25–3.68) AD significantly correlated with RRD development, the effect of the severe condition was significantly stronger.

“If AD is not well controlled after surgery for RRD, prolonged trauma—such as that from eye rubbing and slapping—might persist, leading to poor prognosis,” the researchers said. “Therefore, active treatment of AD is very important for preventing not only skin disease but also other serious complications such as RRD.”