Early-Onset Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis Tied to Higher Risk for Uveitis

WEDNESDAY, April 23, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Children with early-onset atopic dermatitis (AD) have an elevated risk for pediatric uveitis, according to a study published online April 3 in JAMA Ophthalmology.

Yung-Yu Chu, M.D., from Chi Mei Medical Center in Tainan City, Taiwan, and colleagues assessed whether the risk for pediatric uveitis is increased in children with early-onset AD versus a matched control population. The analysis included 114,889 patients with early-onset AD and 114,889 propensity score-matched controls without AD.

The researchers found that the AD cohort had a higher risk for developing pediatric uveitis versus controls (0.08 versus 0.05 percent; hazard ratio, 1.92). Similar results were seen among patients without dupilumab use (0.08 versus 0.05 percent; hazard ratio, 1.77) and those without autoimmune conditions (0.07 versus 0.05 percent; hazard ratio, 1.52). Patients with severe AD had a higher risk for developing pediatric uveitis versus those with nonsevere AD (0.40 versus 0.08 percent; hazard ratio, 3.64).

“This cohort study of children with early-onset AD found an elevated risk of pediatric uveitis compared with matched controls, independent of autoimmune conditions or dupilumab use,” the authors write. “These findings support the potential need to consider ophthalmologic monitoring in children with early-onset AD to try to detect and subsequently manage uveitis if it develops.”

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