Family burden of hospital-managed pediatric atopic dermatitis: A nationwide registry-based study

Background: Parents of children with atopic dermatitis (AD) report reduced quality of life and higher stress level, which could increase risk of psychiatric and pain disorders, and medication use. Methods: By use of Danish national registries, we identified family members of all first-born Danish children born between 1 January 1995 and 31 December 2013 with a hospital diagnosis of AD, matched them 1:10 with family members of children without AD, and followed the cohorts over time. Results: Mothers of children with hospital-managed AD had higher risk of filling a prescription for medications for depression, anxiety, pain and sleep problems, and of consulting a psychologist, but most associations disappeared after full adjustment. Siblings had higher risk of receiving a diagnosis for adjustment disorder, and fathers showed increased risk of filling a prescription for pain medication and of divorce, in crude but not adjusted models. Conclusions: The increased risk of study endpoints seen in mothers of children with hospital-managed AD was not explained by pediatric AD alone. Rather, the total burden in these families including parent and child morbidity and socioeconomic resources seems to explain these observations. The burden in families of children with AD may potentially affect the overall management of their child's AD.