Zhang, Junfen, Loman, Laura, Oldhoff, Jantje M et al. · Acta dermato-venereologica · 2023 · DOI
This study found that adults with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (a chronic skin condition causing itching and inflammation) were more likely to experience loneliness and several psychiatric conditions, including panic disorder, anxiety, depression, and chronic fatigue syndrome. The associations were strongest in people with more severe skin disease, while those with mild atopic dermatitis did not show these increased risks. The researchers suggest that doctors treating skin conditions should also consider screening for and addressing mental health concerns.
This study is relevant to ME/CFS patients because it documents a significant association between a chronic inflammatory condition (atopic dermatitis) and chronic fatigue syndrome, suggesting shared psychiatric and psychological comorbidities across chronic conditions. The emphasis on interdisciplinary care and the need to address psychiatric and psychosocial factors alongside physical symptoms parallels important considerations in ME/CFS management. The finding that severe disease burden correlates more strongly with psychiatric comorbidities highlights the importance of addressing both disease severity and mental health in complex chronic conditions.
This study does not prove that atopic dermatitis causes psychiatric disorders or loneliness—it only shows they occur together more frequently. The cross-sectional design captures associations at a single time point and cannot establish the direction or temporal sequence of causality. Additionally, the study relies heavily on self-reported psychiatric symptoms rather than comprehensive clinical diagnoses, which may overestimate or underestimate true disorder prevalence.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Zhang, Junfen, Loman, Laura, Oldhoff, Jantje M, & Schuttelaar, Marie L A (2023). Beyond Anxiety and Depression: Loneliness and Psychiatric Disorders in Adults with Atopic Dermatitis.. Acta dermato-venereologica. https://doi.org/10.2340/actadv.v103.9378
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-zhang-2023-beyond-anxiety,
author = {Zhang, Junfen and Loman, Laura and Oldhoff, Jantje M and Schuttelaar, Marie L A},
title = {Beyond Anxiety and Depression: Loneliness and Psychiatric Disorders in Adults with Atopic Dermatitis.},
journal = {Acta dermato-venereologica},
year = {2023},
doi = {10.2340/actadv.v103.9378},
note = {PubMed: 37605893},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/zhang-2023-beyond-anxiety},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/zhang-2023-beyond-anxiety
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