Prevalence of metabolic syndrome among adults with atopic dermatitis in Lithuania

Abstract

Introduction: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by eczematous lesions, pruritus and xerosis [1]. The chronic inflammation associated with AD and the resultant oxidative stress may contribute to the development of the metabolic syndrome. Controversial data exist regarding the association between AD and the metabolic syndrome [2]. Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and its components in males and females with atopic dermatitis. Materials & Methods: A cross sectional study was performed in the Skin and Venereal Diseases Clinic, Kaunas Clinics, Lithuania, between 2022 and 2023. The sample consisted of 48 patients with AD of Caucasian origin, aged between 18 – 56 years, inclusive. The diagnosis of AD was confirmed by the Hanifin Raika criteria and evaluated by trained dermatologists. In this abstract, we analyze the association between AD and metabolic syndrome and its components for the entire study population, adults (age > 18). The metabolic syndrome diagnosis was made by the International Diabetes Federation’s (IDF) consensus definition. According to the IDF, a patient must have central obesity (waist circumference ≥90 cm for men and ≥85 cm for women) plus two of the other four factors: raised triglycerides (≥1,7 mmol/l or taking medications for hypertriglyceridaemia), reduced high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (<1,0 mmol/l in men and <1,3 mmol/l in women), raised blood pressure (systolic blood pressure ≥130 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure ≥85 mmHg, or receiving antihypertensive treatment), and hyperglycaemia (≥5,6 mmol/l or taking medications for increased glucose) to be defined as having metabolic syndrome [3]. Results: The total of 48 subjects with a mean ± SD age of 29.27± 9.9 years were enrolled in the study. 66.7% of patients were women (n=32). Among all participants, the BMI was 23.9 ± 3.9 kg/m2. The findings revealed that male patients had a considerably greater prevalence of hypertension than female patients (87.5% vs 34.4%; p = 0.001), and decreased HDL levels (81.3% vs 40.6%, p = 0.004) respectively. Other metabolic risk factors, such as increased waist circumference (37.5 % vs 34.4 %; p = 0.831), increased glycemic levels (33.3 % vs 63.6 %; p = 0.335), and lipid profile including high triglyceride levels (7.1 % vs 21.4 %; p = 0.392), were not significantly different between the two groups. Conclusion: Male patients with atopic dermatitis have a higher prevalence of hypertension and decreased HDL levels than females, according to our findings. This emphasizes the necessity of screening for and controlling hypertension and lipid profiles in male atopic dermatitis patients to lower the risk of cardiovascular consequences. More research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms that link atopic dermatitis and components of metabolic syndrome in this population.