Psychiatric comorbidity in adult eczema.
BACKGROUND
Atopic eczema (AE) is a common dermatological condition that causes significant problems in everyday life and high levels of illness-related stress in substantial proportions of patients. The extent to which adult AE is associated with clinically relevant psychiatric morbidity is unclear.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the association between adult AE and major psychiatric/psychosomatic disorders.


METHODS
Case-control study utilizing the GKV database Saxony, an interdisciplinary administrative outpatient database from Germany. All patients documented as having AE at least twice within the study period (2003-2004) (n = 3769, mean age 44 years) were individually matched by age and sex to 3769 controls without AE. Logistic regression models were fitted to investigate the relationship of AE with affective, stress-related, behaviour and schizophrenic disorders, considering sociodemographic characteristics, consulting behaviour and allergic comorbidities as potential confounding factors.


RESULTS
Eczema was independently associated with affective [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.42, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13-1.79], stress-related (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.35-1.77), behaviour (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.03-2.23) and schizophrenic disorders (OR 2.12, 95% CI 1.22-3.71). For each psychiatric condition the likelihood of being affected significantly increased with each physician visit due to AE, suggesting that the risk of psychiatric comorbidity increases with the severity of AE.


CONCLUSIONS
This study indicates psychiatric comorbidity of adults with AE. Collaboration between dermatologists and mental health specialists may optimize medical care for a significant subgroup of patients with AE.
Schmitt
J
J
Department of Dermatology, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universitat Dresden, Dresden, Germany. jochen.schmitt@uniklinikum-dresden.de
Romanos
M
M
Pfennig
A
A
Leopold
K
K
Meurer
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004485:Eczema / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult