The body composition of adults with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis

Background. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease. While inflammation is an important aspect of muscle wasting diseases, little is known about the body composition in AD patients. Purpose. To assess whether adults with moderate to severe AD have a lower body mass index (BMI) compared to controls and if this is as a result of a reduction in fat free mass (FFM) and/or skeletal muscle mass (SMM). Methods. In 47 adult AD patients height and weight were measured. Body composition was assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Age and sex matched controls were randomly selected from a cohort of healthy subjects. Results. Body weight was significant lower in AD patients compared to controls; for women-9,1 kg (p = 0,00), for men-4,8 kg (p = 0,03). There were no significant differences in height and FFM. SMM was higher in women with AD; +1,6 kg (p = 0,03), and in men with AD; +2,7 kg (p = 0,00). Body fat mass (FM) was lower in AD patients; for women-9,3 kg (p = 0,00), and for men-7,0 kg (p = 0,00). None of the subjects had a BMI below 18,5. Conclusions. Moderate to severe AD in adulthood is related to a significantly lower body weight and BMI. The lower BMI is due to a lower FM, with no alterations in FFM. However, SMM is higher compared to the reference population. Since BMI was not below normal healthy levels, and both FFM and SMM were not lower than controls, these findings do not seem to have direct clinical implications, such as nutritional intervention.© 2014 De Nederlandse Vereniging voor Dermatologie en Venereologie.