Relationship of atopic dermatitis with stroke and myocardial infarction: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Lots of previous reports have suggested a potential association of atopic dermatitis (AD) with stroke and myocardial infarction (MI). However, the result is still controversial, Consequently, we conducted this meta-analysis to estimate the relationship of AD with Stroke and MI. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases were searched from inception to June 2018. Stroke and MI were considered as a composite endpoint. We calculated pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Subgroup and sensitivity analysis were performed to assess the potential sources of heterogeneity of the pooled estimation. RESULTS: A total of 12 articles with 15 studies involving 3,701,199 participants were included in this meta-analysis. Of these, 14 studies on stroke and 12 on MI. Pooled analysis showed participants with AD experienced a significant increased risk of stroke (combined HR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.08–1.22; P = .000) and MI (combined HR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.02–1.24; P = .014), compared with participants without AD. The risk of stroke and MI was significant both in male subjects (stroke: HR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.14–1.56; MI: HR: 2.01, 95% CI: 1.31–3.08), but not in female subjects (HR: 1.02, 95% CI: 0.77–1.35; MI: HR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.72–1.32). The results were more pronounced for ischemic stroke (HR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.13–1.19) in the stratified with stroke type. Stratifying by AD type, the risk of stroke was significant in severe AD (HR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.08–1.54) and moderate AD (HR: 1.11, 95% CI: 1.01–1.22) for MI. CONCLUSIONS: AD is independently associated with an increased risk of stroke and MI, especially in male subjects and ischemic stroke and the risk is associated with the severity of AD.