Eczema Is Correlated with Osteoporotic Fractures

Some data suggest that atopic dermatitis is a risk factor for osteoporotic fractures. Researchers used the U.K. general practice health database to perform a matched cohort study of about 500,000 adults with atopic eczema and 2,500,000 controls.

During 5 years, patients with eczema had a small but statistically significant excess risk for hip, pelvic, spinal, and wrist fractures, compared with controls (hazard ratio, 1.1). For patients with severe eczema, risk for spinal fractures was twofold higher, and risk for hip or pelvic fracture was nearly twofold higher, than risks in controls.