Atopic Dermatitis Influences Educational, Career Decisions

THURSDAY, May 28, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Early-onset atopic dermatitis (AD) influences educational and professional trajectories, according to a research letter published online May 28 in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.Alexander Stratigos, M.D., from the University of Athens School of Medicine in Greece, and colleagues examined the lasting consequences of childhood-onset AD on educational and career decisions as part of the Scars of Life Initiative. A cross-sectional study was conducted from June to September 2024, involving 22,833 adults with a history of AD from 27 countries across five continents. Participants were classified into five groups based on age at onset and disease persistence: childhood-onset persistent, adolescent-onset persistent, adult-onset, adolescent-onset resolved, and childhood-onset resolved.The researchers found that all outcomes differed significantly across the groups. The highest impact was seen for the childhood-onset persistent group: 36.6, 38.3, and 35.5 percent reported limited study choices, limited career choices, and perceived discrimination, respectively, compared with 25.2, 24.4, and 23.9 percent, respectively, for the adolescent-onset persistent group. Greater impact was reported for those with resolved childhood-onset AD compared with those with adult-onset AD in terms of career limitations (29.9 versus 27.4 percent), avoidance of public contact (41.3 versus 35.8 percent), and perceived discrimination (31.2 versus 26.6 percent; odds ratios, 1.13, 1.26, and 1.25, respectively)."We must stop treating AD as merely a skin condition and start recognizing it as a chronic disease with lifelong socioprofessional consequences," co-lead author Charles Taieb, M.D., from the Société Francaise des Sciences Humaines pour la Peau in Paris, said in a statement.Several authors disclosed ties to La Roche-Posay Laboratoire Dermatologique, which funded the study.Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Atopic Dermatitis Influences Educational, Career Decisions

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