Vaccines do not cause atopic dermatitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Previous studies found conflicting results about the association of vaccinations and likelihood of atopic dermatitis (AD). Objectives: To determine whether vaccinations increase the likelihood of AD. Methods: A systematic review was performed of all published studies in MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. At least 2 reviewers conducted title/abstract, full-text review, and data extraction. Quality of evidence was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Results: Forty-four studies met inclusion criteria; 37 had sufficient data for meta-analysis. There were no associations any vaccine regimen (random-effects logistic regression: odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 0.961 [0.822–1.124]; n = 21 studies) BCG (0.927 [0.701–1.226]; n = 8), pertussis (0.790 [0.416–1.499]; n = 4), single (1.031 [0.920–1.155]; n = 17) or multiple vaccines (0.902 [0.608–1.338]; n = 7) with likelihood of AD. This remained true in studies with high-quality (NOS ≥ 7) (OR [95% CI]: 0.941 [0.793–1.117]; n = 13 studies) or low-quality (NOS < 7) (OR [95% CI]: 1.058 [0.669–1.674]; n = 8 studies). Limitations: No randomized controlled trials. Conclusions: No vaccine regimen was consistently associated with developing AD.