A novel study published in the January 2024 in Pediatric Dermatology Journal found an increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome and the potential connection with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in children with inflammatory skin condition - atopic dermatitis (AD or also called as 'eczema'). Given the lack of data on the association between AD, metabolic syndrome, and NAFLD in children, this case-control study by Pratheeksha Reddy et al. examined the prevalence and potential associations among these disorders in the pediatric population.

Fifty children with AD (median age = 9.5 years) and fifty age- and sex-matched healthy children (median age = 11.5 years) were recruited. Data on patient characteristics and clinical presentations, severity of the disease, treatment history, anthropometric (body) measurements, and lab evaluations were collected. Metabolic syndrome and NAFLD were detected while keeping in view the recognized criteria.

Compared to the controls, the incidence of metabolic syndrome was considerably higher in children struggling with inflammatory skin conditions, as shown in Table 1:

Notable differences were seen for waist circumference (p = .040), systolic (p < .001) and diastolic (p = .012) blood pressure between the groups. Elevated triglyceride levels were witnessed in the case of AD patients. NAFLD was observed solely in cases of moderate-to-severe AD, with a prevalence of 6% compared to 0% in other cases. The severity of AD correlated with higher body mass index (p = .020). Atopic dermatitis in children was found to be linked with metabolic syndrome risk, so the study authors emphasized the need for future research for prevention.