LAUSR

BACKGROUND It is well-established that asthma is common in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). OBJECTIVES We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the prevalence of asthma and respiratory symptoms in individuals with AD, and the association between AD and asthma. METHODS At least two authors independently searched the medical databases PubMed, EMBASE, LILACS and SCOPUS for all English-language studies with data on asthma prevalence among patients with AD or the association between AD and asthma. Pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and pooled proportions were estimated using random-effects models. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used to assess study quality. RESULTS The search yielded 39,503 articles. 213 studies were included in a quantitative analysis. The overall pooled prevalence of asthma was 25.7% (95% CI 23.7-27.7) in AD patients and 8.1% (95% CI 7.0-9.4) among reference individuals. There was a significant association between AD and asthma when compared to reference individuals (OR 3.03, 95% CI 2.64-3.47). LIMITATIONS The definitions of AD and asthma differed across the included studies and varied from self-report to physician-diagnosed. CONCLUSIONS Asthma is a common comorbidity of AD. Physicians should be cognizant about this relationship and address asthma symptoms in their patients.