Novel significant findings have revealed a possible relationship between childhood atopic dermatitis (AD) and pain at age 10. Researchers of a proof-of-concept study investigated whether symptoms of AD in early life could heighten the risk of pain in the later years.

The patient data from the Generation XXI birth cohort, which included 1302 children evaluated at 6 and 15 months, as well as at 10 years was used. The parents were interviewed to assemble information about the presence of atopy-like symptoms since birth, including AD and structured questionnaires were used to gather pain history from children and parents in the previous 3 months at age 10.

Children whose parents reported such AD-like symptoms in infancy at 6 months had a considerably greater risk of reporting any pain at the age of 10. Similarly, AD symptoms at 15 months had a greater risk of suffering multisite pain at the same age, concluded Vanessa Gorito.