Allergic conjunctivitis: a risk factor for recurrent herpes simplex virus infections in patients with atopic dermatitis

Background: Patients with atopic dermatitis have an increased risk of herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections.

Objectives: We carried out a retrospective, cross-sectional study to investigate the association of disease severity, concomitant atopic diseases and filaggrin mutations with the risk of cutaneous HSV infections in 463 patients with atopic dermatitis.

Materials & methods: The correlation between predisposing factors and HSV infections was analysed using chi-square and Mann Whitney U-tests, and the relationship was further studied with binomial logistic regression to ascertain odds ratios.

Results: Allergic conjunctivitis (aOR: 1.770; CI: 1.008-3.109; p = 0.047) and patient age (aOR: 1.022; CI: 1.007-1.036; p = 0.004) showed statistically significant associations with recurrent HSV infections and eczema herpeticum. HSV infections were not linked to severity of atopic dermatitis (p = 0.435) or filaggrin mutation status (p = 0.886).

Conclusion: The results highlight the importance for attentiveness of HSV infections in atopic dermatitis patients with concomitant allergic conjunctivitis.