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Background: Clinical and immunological studies have consistently shown a relationship between atopic diathesis and idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS). However, no large population cohort study has yet to demonstrate the nature of the relationship between these disorders. Methods: Claims data from a random selection of children representing half of the insured population in Taiwan were examined. During the period from 1998 to 2007, we identified 192,295 children aged <18 years with newly diagnosed atopic dermatitis (AD) and 769,169 frequency-matched controls. Incidence of INS and hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated. Results: The AD cohort had a 2-fold higher overall incidence of INS than the non-AD cohort [7.20 vs. 3.60 per 100,000 person-years, respectively; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.50-2.66]. The HR for INS increased with age and was higher among females. The HR for INS was also higher in AD children with more medical visits per year, ranging from 0.94 for those having ≤3 visits to 38.6 for those having >6 visits (trend test P < 0.0001). In particular, the risk of INS clearly increased during the initial 5 years after AD onset. Conclusions: Children with AD have a greater incidence and risk of developing INS and this risk increases with AD severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is common in children. Characteristic symptoms of AR may result in daytime inattention, irritability, and hyperactivity, which are also components of ADHD. Conflicting data in previous studies exist regarding the relationship between ADHD and AR. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence and risk of AR in ADHD patients in Taiwan. We conducted a cross-sectional study using the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. The study subjects included 469 patients who received psychiatric care for ADHD in 2005 and the general population ( n = 220,599). Distributions of age, gender, and living areas as well as allergic diseases in the general population and in the ADHD group were examined by χ tests. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the risk factors of AR. The prevalence of AR in ADHD group and the general population was 28.4 and 15.2 %, respectively. The prevalence of asthma was 9.6 % in ADHD group and 6.4 % in the general population. Both the prevalence of AR ( p < 0.001) and asthma ( p = 0.008) was significantly higher in ADHD group than the general population. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that ADHD patients had an increased rate of AR than general population (OR = 1.83; 95 % CI = 1.48-2.27; p < 0.0001), and asthma was strongly associated with AR (OR = 9.28; 95 % CI = 8.95-9.63; p < 0.0001). Our data showed that ADHD patients had an increased rate of AR. Therefore, psychiatrists should be more aware of the comorbidity of AR when treating ADHD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]