Interaction between alcohol drinking status and hay fever on atopic dermatitis: NHANES 2005–2006

Abstract

Abstract Background hay fever may increase the risk of atopic dermatitis. However, few studies have investigated the joint effects of hay fever and alcohol drinking status on atopic dermatitis. Therefore, we aimed to explore the association between hay fever, atopic dermatitis, and alcohol drinking status. Methods 4754 participants aged over 20 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in 2005–2006 were involved in the study. Hay fever was defined by self-reported medical diagnosis, atopic dermatitis status was assessed by the question “Has a doctor or other health professional ever told you that you have eczema”, and alcohol drinking status was determined by the survey question, “In any 1 year, have you had at least 12 drinks of any type of alcoholic beverage?” Logistic regression, and stratified analysis of sub-groups were used in this study. Results hay fever was risk factor for atopic dermatitis. There was an interaction between hay fever and alcohol drinking status (P for interaction = 0.01). Hay fever was associated with increased risk of atopic dermatitis among the population who were alcohol non-drinkers. Compared with the population who were alcohol drinkers and without hay fever, the OR of atopic dermatitis was 3.71 (1.74, 7.90) for the population who were alcohol non-drinkers and with hay fever. Conclusions There was a positive interaction between hay fever and alcohol drinking status on atopic dermatitis. Alcohol may attenuate the detrimental impacts of hay fever on atopic dermatitis.