Recent developments in atopic dermatitis, eczema

Survey results finding that children with eczema have been bullied and have lower self-esteem was among the most-read developments reported on Healio.com/Dermatology.

Other developments included study findings that active smoking and passive tobacco smoke exposure were significantly associated with increased prevalence of atopic dermatitis in children and adults:

Survey finds children with eczema have been bullied, have lower self-esteem

The National Eczema Association has released results of a survey of patients with eczema and their caregivers that found that at least one in five children with eczema, including atopic dermatitis, will be bullied at school because of the disease, according to a press release.

Amy Paller

“Medically treating and managing eczema is important – but so are understanding and addressing the psychosocial challenges of this disease,” Amy Paller, MD, director of the Northwestern University Skin Disease Research Center, stated in the release Read more

Exposure to cigarette smoke associated with increased atopic dermatitis prevalence

Active smoking and passive tobacco smoke exposure were significantly associated with increased prevalence of atopic dermatitis in children and adults, according to recently published study results.

Jonathan I. Silverberg, MD, PhD, MPH, of the department of dermatology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and colleagues evaluated associations between atopic dermatitis and tobacco smoke exposure by performing a systematic review and meta-analysis. Read more

Risk factors may predict persistent atopic dermatitis in children

Childhood atopic dermatitis subsides by adulthood in most cases; however, clinical factors such as already persistent disease, later onset, and/or more severe disease increases the risk for persistence, according to recent study results.

“Atopic dermatitis (AD)/eczema is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with a clinical course that varies widely between patients,” Jonathan I. Silverberg, MD, PhD, MPH, of the department of dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, and colleagues wrote. Read more

Atopic dermatitis increases risk for comorbidities, dermatologist reports

Atopic dermatitis increases the risks for short-term and long-term systemic comorbidities, according to information presented at the American Academy of Dermatology Summer Meeting in Boston.

“Although it affects the skin, eczema is not just skin-deep,” Jonathan Silverberg, MD, PhD, MPH, FAAD, assistant professor in dermatology, medical social sciences and preventive medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, reported in an AAD press release. Read more

Outcome similar when topical steroids applied to wet vs. dry skin for atopic dermatitis

Application of topical corticosteroids via the “soak and smear” technique showed no improvement compared with application to dry skin for the treatment of recalcitrant atopic dermatitis in children, according to a recent study.

“Soak and smear is a technique used to increase the efficacy of topical corticosteroids for atopic dermatitis by the patient soaking in lukewarm water before smearing corticosteroid ointment on wet skin,” Lucinda L. Kohn, MD, of Yale University School of Medicine, and colleagues wrote. “Previous studies have shown that [soak and smear] results in marked improvement or disease clearance in nearly all patients. Read more