# Mapping risks of health conditions in people with atopic eczema in English primary care and hospital data

## TL;DR

This study maps health risks in people with atopic eczema using large-scale electronic health records, revealing higher risks for various conditions like inflammatory bowel disease and eye diseases.

## Contribution

The study provides a comprehensive mapping of comorbidities associated with atopic eczema using a vast dataset and multiple classification systems.

## Key findings

- People with eczema have higher rates of health outcomes across multiple organ systems.
- Large relative risk increases are observed for inflammatory bowel conditions and eye diseases.
- A dashboard is provided to explore the full range of results.

## Abstract

Atopic eczema may be associated with multiple health conditions. Here, we systematically explore risks across the full health spectrum based on the International Classification of Diseases, assessing associations between eczema and 2058 ICD-10 codes, 1593 phecodes, and 201 Global Burden of Disease codes. In English primary care electronic health records (1997 − 2023) we identify cohorts of people with eczema (up to 3 million) and matched (by age, sex, general practice) comparators without eczema (up to 14 million). In up to 25 years of follow-up, we capture outcomes recorded during hospital admissions. People with eczema show higher rates of several outcomes across multiple organ systems. Among those followed up from eczema diagnosis in childhood, atopic/allergic conditions and infections account for most excess diagnoses. Consistent across cohorts and analyses, large relative risk increases are seen for inflammatory bowel conditions (e.g., K50 Crohn disease, crude hazard ratio 1.70 [1.63-1.77]) and eye diseases (e.g., H16 Keratitis, crude hazard ratio 1.71 [1.57-1.86]). We provide a dashboard to explore and browse the full range of results.

A study using English electronic health records from millions of people with atopic eczema provides an evidence resource covering the full spectrum of associated comorbidity, providing a big picture overview as well as results for each individual outcome.