BACKGROUND: Recent studies examining the association between atopic dermatitis (AD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes have shown inconsistent results.

OBJECTIVES: To carry out a systematic review and meta-analysis that examines the association with cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes in adults with AD.

METHODS: We compared the risk of CVD and diabetes for adult patients with and without AD by searching the PubMed, Embase and Web of Science databases. Data extraction was carried out by two independent reviewers. We found a total of 2855 citations, of which 53 were considered relevant based on title and abstract. Overall, 16 publications were included in the qualitative analysis, of which 13 were also included in a quantitative meta-analysis of crude data.

RESULTS: No association was observed between AD and unspecified but suspected type 2 diabetes [pooled odds ratio (OR) 1·11; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0·87-1·42], hypertension (pooled OR 1·16; 95% CI 0·98-1·37), stroke (pooled OR 1·15; 95% CI 0·95-1·39) or myocardial infarction (pooled OR 1·14; 95% CI 0·83-1·56), but a positive association was observed with angina pectoris (OR 1·73; 95% CI 1·27-2·37). Meta-analysis of adjusted data gave similar results.

CONCLUSIONS: While adults with AD in some populations have an increased prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, such as obesity and smoking, it is unlikely that AD represents an independent and clinically relevant risk factor for cardiometabolic disease.