Context: Previous studies on the association between atopic dermatitis (AD) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have yielded inconsistent results.
Aims: To investigate the relationship between atopic dermatitis and systemic lupus erythematosus.
Settings and design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.
Materials and methods: A systematic review was conducted on EMBASE and MEDLINE databases from inception to March 2020 using a search strategy that consisted of terms related to AD and SLE. Eligible study must be either cohort or case-control study. For cohort studies, they must include patients with AD and comparators without AD, then follow them for incident SLE. For case-control studies, they must include cases with SLE and controls without SLE and examine their prior history of AD.
Statistical analysis used: Meta-analysis of the studies was performed using a random-effect, generic inverse variance method to combine effect estimate and standard error. Funnel plot was used to assess publication bias.
Results: A total of 21,486 articles were retrieved. After two rounds of review by three investigators, six case-control studies were qualified for the meta-analysis. The case-control study meta-analysis found a significantly increased odds of SLE among patients with AD with the pooled odds ratio of 1.46 (95% CI, 1.05-2.04).
Conclusions: A significant association between AD and increased odds of SLE was observed by this systematic review and meta-analysis.
Keywords: Atopic dermatitis; eczema; meta-analysis; systemic lupus erythematosus.