The 2007 National Health Interview Survey from a nationally representative sample of 9417 children age 0 to 17 years was used.
Children with AD and other atopic disease had higher聽odds of warts. In contrast, children with AD with or without other atopic disease had higher odds of extracutaneous infections, including strep throat, other sore throat, head or chest cold, influenza/pneumonia, sinus infections, recurrent ear聽infections, chickenpox, and urinary tract infections (P聽<聽.0001). Children with AD and other atopic disease had a higher number of infections than those with either disorder by itself (P聽<聽.0001). Warts were also associated with increased odds聽of all extracutaneous infections (P聽<聽.0001), except recurrent ear infections. Children with warts and AD had a higher number of infections than those with either disorder alone (P聽<聽.0001). Finally, children with AD and warts had higher odds of ever receiving a diagnosis of asthma, current asthma, asthma exacerbation in the past year, hay fever, and food allergy. Children with AD with warts had even higher odds of asthma, hay fever, and food allergies than those with AD and no warts.
The associations between childhood AD, atopic disease, warts, and extracutaneous infections suggest that barrier disruption, immune disruption, or both contribute to susceptibility to warts and extracutaneous infections in children.