Atopic Dermatitis and Diabetes

Atopic dermatitis and diabetes represent chronic, inflammatory, and immune-mediated diseases, both with significant quality of life impact for the patient and patient’s family but also considerable socio-economic burden. Although more and more studied in the past decades, the potential association and connection between these two medical entities is still debatable, as literature data is limited and, in some cases, even conflicting. However, their potential association relies on some commonly identified pathophysiological factors—such as perpetual inflammation, immunological responses, environmental factors, genetic background, and shared comorbidities. Therefore, some studies identified a positive association between atopic dermatitis and diabetes mellitus (either type 1 or type 2), while data from other studies revealed no connection between these diseases or, even more, showed that atopic dermatitis might reduce the risk of developing diabetes mellitus in some patients. Furthermore, these two chronic illnesses also share some clinical characteristics, which highlights a potential association. Up to this date, there is no conclusive scientific evidence in favor of a strong positive association between atopic dermatitis and diabetes mellitus, mainly due to a lack of studies on large and diversified populations. However, it is important for physicians to be aware of this potential association in both adult and pediatric populations and the importance of a multidisciplinary approach for atopic dermatitis. Future research on adequate population groups is needed in order to establish any potential association between atopic dermatitis and diabetes mellitus.