Title: Learning About Medicine Safety for Kids Using PEDSnet Data
Key Words: PEDSnet, dupilumab, atopic dermatitis, asthma, autoimmune disease
Doctors use a medicine called dupilumab to help children with atopic conditions, like eczema and asthma. This study used information from 10 children’s hospitals in the PEDSnet network to learn more about autoimmune diseases in children with atopic conditions and whether these diseases were linked to dupilumab treatment. Researchers looked at children ages 6 to 17 who did or did not take dupilumab.
They found that children with atopic diseases such as eczema and asthma had a higher chance of developing autoimmune diseases than children without these conditions, whether or not they received dupilumab. Among children treated with dupilumab, there was a small increase in skin-related autoimmune diseases (like psoriasis and alopecia), but not for other non-skin autoimmune diseases. This finding is reassuring because it suggests that broader autoimmune problems were not more common in children taking the medicine.
The study helps doctors better understand the long-term safety of dupilumab in children. The results suggest that autoimmune diseases may be related to underlying atopic conditions themselves, while only a small increase in certain skin autoimmune diseases was observed among children taking dupilumab. These findings support what doctors already do for children on medications like dupilumab: continue to monitor whether it is helping, and whether there are any side effects.
Takeaways
Why does this matter?
It helps doctors learn more about how autoimmune diseases and atopic conditions may be connected, while continuing to monitor the safety of medicines used to treat children.
What does this mean for patients and families?
Children with eczema and asthma may have a higher risk of autoimmune diseases regardless of whether they take dupilumab. Apart from skin autoimmune conditions, this study did not find an increase in most autoimmune diseases among children treated with dupilumab. Large research networks like PEDSnet help doctors track medicine safety over time so families can make informed decisions about care.
Citation
Gabryszewski SJ, Hirabayashi K, Botdorf M, Maltenfort M, Forrest CB, Guilbert TW, Schutt M, Morizono H, Vazquez Garcia G, Garza-Mayers AC, Hernandez JD, Anvari S, Rao S, Spergel JM. Incidence of autoimmune diseases in children with atopy treated with dupilumab. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2026. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2026.03.010.