Co-occurring ASD Mediates Impact of ADHD on Atopic Dermatitis and Acne: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract

Background: ADHD and ASD are associated with dermatologic manifestations, yet little research investigates co-occurring ADHD/ASD and common dermatologic conditions. Objective: To investigate associations between ADHD, ASD, acne vulgaris, and atopic dermatitis. Methods: Using de-identified patient records from the TriNetX database, we created four cohorts on ADHD diagnosis, ASD diagnosis, both, neither. Cohorts were separated into males and females. We balanced each cohort based on age, sex, race, and ethnicity to the baseline cohort with neither ASD or ADHD. Finally, we examined prevalence of acne and eczema. Results: The cohort sizes varied from 19,764 to 345,626. Compared to matched peers, males with ADHD or ADHD/ASD had increased prevalence of acne, and all neurodivergent males had increased prevalence of eczema. Females with ADHD had an increase in both. Females with ADHD/ASD had no significant differences, and females with ASD had a decreased risk of eczema. Limitations: Due to database limitations, we are unable to: analyze symptom severity, skincare routine, or treatment adherence. Conclusions: The decreased risk of eczema in females with ASD and lack of significant difference in incidence of acne or eczema in females with ADHD/ASD compared to matched peers suggests research into approaches to skincare in males versus females with ASD may provide clinically relevant insights.