A real-world study of the longitudinal course of adult atopic dermatitis severity in clinical practice.

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the longitudinal course of adult atopic dermatitis (AD) lesional severity and extent in clinical practice.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the longitudinal course of AD in clinical practice.

METHODS

A prospective, dermatology practice-based study was performed (n = 400). Patients were assessed at baseline and approximately 6, 12, 18, and 24 months by eczema area and severity index (EASI) and objective-scoring atopic dermatitis (objective-SCORAD). Multivariable repeated measures linear regression models were constructed to evaluate AD severity over time.

RESULTS

Overall, 36.2% and 18.2% of patients had moderate (6.0-22.9) or severe (23.0-72.0) EASI scores at any visit, respectively. Similarly, 29.0% and 26.4% of patients had moderate (24.0-37.9) or severe (38.0-83.0) objective-SCORAD scores at any visit, respectively. Among patients with baseline moderate (6.0-22.9) or severe (23.0-72.0) EASI scores, 25.0% and 18.6% continued to have moderate or severe scores at 1 or more follow-up visits, respectively. Similarly, among patients with baseline moderate (24.0-37.9) or severe (38.0-83.0) objective-SCORAD scores, 22.6% and 24.5% continued to have moderate or severe scores at 1 or more follow-up visits, respectively. In longitudinal regression models, EASI was significantly associated with body surface area (adjusted β [95% confidence interval]: 0.16 [0.09-0.23]) and edema/papulation (2.31 [0.19-4.43]). In addition, objective-SCORAD was significantly associated with body surface area (0.12 [0.04-0.21]), edema/papulation (4.69 [2.05-7.32]), and scratch (3.34 [0.45-6.24]) over time.

CONCLUSION

AD lesional severity has a heterogeneous longitudinal course. Many patients had fluctuating lesional severity scores over time. A minority of patients had persistently moderate or severe lesions over time. Most patients with moderate-severe disease at baseline were unable to achieve persistent lesional clearance.