Burden of atopic dermatitis in infants/preschoolers from EPI-CARE: an international study

Stephan Weidinger, MD, Eric L. Simpson, MD, PhD; and Jonathan I. Silverberg, MD, PhD, et al, presented a poster on an EPI-CARE cross-sectional, web-based study conducted between September 2018 and December 2019 to examine varying conditions of atopic dermatitis severity and outcomes in infants and preschoolers aged 6 months to less than 6 years in 5 regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East/Eurasia, and East Asia.

Parents and guardians were asked to answer questions related to the impact of atopic dermatitis (AD), while preschoolers aged 4 to 6 years were asked questions related to the impact of AD on their own quality of life.

Parents were asked to assess their child’s AD condition as mild, moderate, or severe, and outcomes were stratified by geographic region; AD severity; worst itch/skin pain; sleep disturbance over 24-hour periods; eczema-related hospitalizations over the prior 12 months; and frequency and typical duration of flares over the prior month.

Results showed that of 1489 infants/preschoolers aged less than 6 years, the majority (61.6%) had mild disease, with the rest of the children with moderate to severe disease. The children with moderate or severe AD had the worst itch, skin pain, and sleep disturbances over the prior 24 hours, and the majorityof those with severe AD (54.1%) were hospitalized over the prior 12 months.

More than half of severe AD children also had more than 2 flares over the prior month, compared with smaller proportions of moderate and mild infants and preschoolers.

The investigators concluded, that across all regions, infants and preschoolers with AD experience a considerable burden that can include atopic comorbidities, pruritus, sleep loss, hospitalization, frequent prolong flares, and school attendance, results which should be looked at and considered carefully when health care providers screen and treat this population for AD.

Reference

Weidinger, MD, Simpson EL, Silverberg JI, et al. Burden of atopic dermatitis in infants/preschoolers from EPI-CARE: an international study. SPD 2022 47th Annual Meeting. July 7, 2022. Indianapolis, Indiana.