Older adults prescribed any class of antihypertensives have a small yet clinically significant increased risk of atopic dermatitis, doctors report.

Diuretics and calcium-channel blockers appeared to have the largest effect, according to results from their longitudinal cohort study of nearly 1.6 million primary care patients.

“These findings indicate that physicians should consider antihypertensive treatment as part of the differential diagnoses for older patients presenting with eczematous dermatitis,” the authors said.

Their cohort included UK adults aged 60 and over (mean age 67) without eczema at baseline, two-thirds of whom had a prescription for antihypertensives.