New Treatment Options for Eczema

According to a meta-analysis of various clinical studies that were published in JAMA Dermatology, patients with severe eczema who were given the medication dupilumab saw a reduction in symptoms and an improvement in quality of life.

As per the research, dupilumab is a safe and efficient treatment for erythrodermic atopic dermatitis, also known as eczema, which affects more than 90% of the body.

According to the National Eczema Association, atopic dermatitis (AD) affects more than 9.6 million children and around 16.5 million adults in the United States.

Researchers examined 209 patients with erythrodermic AD from six therapeutic trials for the current study. The symptoms of atopic dermatitis, such as reduced itching and lower levels of atopic dermatitis biomarkers, improved quickly and significantly in patients receiving dupilumab treatment. According to the study, patients who received dupilumab also reported better quality of life and fewer signs of anxiety or depression.

“The question we have for many new therapies is, ‘Will this work for the most severe patients?'” said Amy Paller, MD, the chair and Walter J. Hamlin Professor of Dermatology and a co-author of the study. “This group has the greatest risk for infection, comorbidities, and even morbidity. So, we looked at the most severe patients, and the bottom line is they respond just as well to the treatment as milder cases.”

According to Paller, general immunosuppressant drugs have traditionally been used to treat AD. Dupilumab is typically regarded as safer for long-term usage because it is particularly designed to suppress the cytokines responsible for inflammatory responses.

Conjunctivitis, nasopharyngitis, and injection-site reactions were among the side events mentioned in the study. According to the study, patients with erythrodermic AD were more likely to get conjunctivitis than patients with less severe instances.

“I think we’re just at the very beginning of having many options for our patients with atopic dermatitis,” Paller said. “The reason that this research with this most severe group is important is that it gives us some insight into the neediest patients, the ones who are most severe. It also tells us that this group, although they will do very well, may have a higher risk for conjunctivitis. So, we must be on the lookout for it.”

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