Risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in adult patients with atopic dermatitis

Aims: This study aimed to investigate the subsequent risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) in adults newly diagnosed with atopic dermatitis (AD).Methods: This propensity score-matching cohort study used data from the National Health Insurance Service --National Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC) 2.0 database in South Korea from 2002 to 2015. The adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using a Cox proportional hazards model, for the new onset of T2D (ICD-10 code, E11) in AD patients compared to the matched controls. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were also conducted.Results: Each of the 36,692 individuals in the AD group and matched control group was included in the analysis. The risk of T2D in the AD group was significantly higher than that of the matched controls in the adjusted model (adjusted HR 1.44; 95% CI 1.27-1.63, P <.001). The results of subgroup analysis by sex, age, and body mass index were consistent with the results of the primary analysis. Sensitivity analyses using different T2D and/or AD definitions also showed consistent results.Conclusions: The significant risk of subsequent T2D in adult AD patients suggested the necessity for efforts to prevent T2D in AD patients.