Study: Hidradenitis Suppurativa, Psoriasis Among Dermatologic Diseases with Highest Obesity Rates

A large proportion of patients with dermatologic diagnoses are obese. Increased patient education could lead to interventions that could improve their disease and decrease the risk of comorbidities such as hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), psoriasis, and acanthosis nigricans, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Dermatological Treatment.

Obesity continues to increase in the United States, and numerous published studies point to varied dermatologic associations. For this study, the researchers set out to characterize obesity among US office visits for dermatologic diseases. Researchers searched data from the 2005 to 2011 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) for the most common dermatologic diagnoses for which body mass index (BMI) could be classified.
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The results demonstrated that for all dermatologic patient visits, 10% were underweight, 36.5% were normal weight, 23.8% were overweight, and 29.7% were obese. Increasing age predicted the yearly increased likelihood of obesity (Odds ratio [OR], 1.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-1.02; P < .0001).

“Logistic regression controlling for age, sex, race and dataset found that in addition to age, NHAMCS dermatologic diagnosis patients were more likely to be obese than NAMCS patients (OR 1.22; 95% CI, 1.03-1.45; P =.02). Specific diseases were found to have the highest obesity rates, including psoriasis, HS, and acanthosis nigricans,” the researchers concluded.

—Lisa Samalonis
 
Reference
Fleischer AB Jr. Characterization of obesity rates for dermatologic ambulatory office visits to United States physicians [published online May 31, 2016]. J Dermatolog Treat. doi:10.1080/09546634.2016.1187707.