Higher Occurrence of Ocular Surface Disease Symptoms in Patients with Atopic Dermatitis: Data from 57,464 Subjects in the FOREVER Cohort

Background: Ocular comorbidity in atopic dermatitis (AD) is known, but ocular surface disease (OSD) symptoms do not always result in a physiciańs diagnosis. Objective: To investigate the occurrence of OSD symptoms and self-reported vision and health in a general population and explore their association with AD. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire study using the nationwide population-based FOREVER cohort of Danish adults. The occurrence of OSD symptoms, self-reported vision and health, and their association with AD were investigated using logistic regression models. Results: A total of 57,464 (85%) out of 67,178 participants completed the questionnaire. 1,298 had current AD, 5,198 had a history of AD, and 50,968 never had AD. The occurrence of one or more OSD symptoms was associated with both current (adjusted odds ratio, 1.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.05-1.34; P = 0.006) and previous AD (1.16; 1.09-1.23; P < 0.001), compared to those who never had AD, after adjusting for age, sex, smoking status, and atopic comorbidities (asthma and rhinitis). Participants with current and previous AD also rated their overall health "worse" (1.29; 1.16-1.43; P < 0.001) (1.12; 1.06-1.18; P < 0.001), compared to those who never had AD. Conclusions: The occurrence of OSD symptoms and worse self-rated vision and health are associated with AD in a general population.