Do patients with seborrheic dermatitis have an increased risk for peptic ulcers?

New Study Suggests that Patients with Seborrheic Dermatitis More Likely to Develop Peptic Ulcer Disease

A new study from Taiwan raises the possibly that patients with seborrheic dermatitis may have an increased risk to develop peptic ulcer disease (PUD). Peptic ulcer disease is common worldwide with a prevalence of about 10 %. It refers to small ulcers or erosions that happen in the stomach, upper intestine (duodenum) and lower esophagus.

The study was a population based cohort study and was conducted using a large database. A total of 19, 445 participants were evaluated. Patients with SD were compared to those without SD. Overall, patients with SD have a 1.6 fold increased risk of being diagnosed with peptic ulcer disease than controls.

Peptic ulcer disease refers to erosions and ulcers happening in the stomach, esophagus and duodenum of the small intestine. A new study suggests patients with seborrheic dermatitis are at risk for peptic ulcer disease.

CONCLUSION

This is a very interesting study and one of the first good studies to draw attention to this potential link. The concept is not entirely new. Prior studies have suggested differences in the intestinal microbiota in patients with SD compared to controls. In addition, some studies have even suggested benefit of probiotics in helping to alleviate the symptoms of SD. Gut “dysbiosis” has been suggested to be part of the pathogenesis of PUD and ‘dysbiosis” may be part of SD.

REFERENCE

Chen TL et al. Seborrheic dermatitis and risk of incident peptic ulcer disease: A nationwide population based cohort study. Int J Dermatol 2021

Reygagne P et al. The positive benefit of Lactobacillus paracasei NCC2461 ST11 in healthy volunteers with moderate to severe dandruff. Benef Microbes 2017 Oct 13;8(5):671-680.