Eczema and cardiovascular risk factors in 2 US adult population studies

Background Eczema is associated with high rates of sleep disturbance and quality-of-life impairment. These factors might have a negative impact on psychosocial development and behavior and could increase cardiovascular risk.

Objective We sought to determine whether adults with eczema have increased cardiovascular risk factors.

Methods We analyzed data for 27,157 and 34,525 adults aged 18 to 85 years from the 2010 and 2012 National Health Interview Survey.

Results Adults with eczema had higher odds of ever smoking 100 cigarettes in their lifetime (survey logistic regression; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.32; 95% CI, 1.18-1.47) and current smoking history (aOR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.12-1.45), with significantly younger age of onset (survey linear regression; adjusted β, -0.58; 95% CI, -0.95 to -0.21). Eczema was also associated with greater odds of ever drinking 12 or more alcoholic beverages annually (aOR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.03-1.31), including current intake of moderate (aOR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.09-1.62) and heavier (aOR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.23-2.03) amounts. Adults with a history of eczema had lower odds of daily vigorous activity (aOR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.63-0.99) and lower frequency of vigorous activity in the past week (adjusted β, -0.46; 95% CI, -0.72 to -0.21) than did adults without a history of eczema. Those with eczema had a higher body mass index than did those without eczema (adjusted β, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.37-1.36), particularly a body mass index of 35 or more (aOR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.16-2.05), and higher odds of hypertension (aOR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.18-1.85), hypertension on 2 visits (aOR, 1.56; 1.22-1.99), and lifetime prediabetes (aOR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.19-2.45). Finally, there were significant interactions between eczema and sleep disturbances such that eczema associated with fatigue, daytime sleepiness, or insomnia was associated with even higher odds of obesity, hypertension, hypertension on 2 visits, prediabetes, diabetes, and high cholesterol than eczema alone.

Conclusions We found that eczema in adults is a marker for cardiovascular risk, emphasizing the importance of behavioral modification and perhaps more aggressive interventions to better manage eczema.