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The article discusses the role of emollients in preventing atopic dermatitis (AD) and the mixed results from studies on this topic. The article highlights a recent study by Rehbinder et al. that examined the effects of emollient intervention on the skin barrier in babies. The study found that the intervention had a disruptive effect on the condition of the skin barrier, which was unexpected. The article also mentions that some emollients can harm the skin and discusses their different effects on corticosteroid uptake and cutaneous sensitivity to irritants. Despite the mixed results, the article suggests that there is still potential for exploring the use of barrier-enhancing emollients in preventing AD. [Extracted from the article]

Introduction/Background Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an inflammatory skin disease associated with atopic comorbidities, including asthma, food allergy, hay fever, and allergic conjunctivitis. Tralokinumab, a high-affinity monoclonal antibody that specifically targets IL-13, is indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe AD. Objectives: To assess the impact of atopic comorbidities on the efficacy and safety of tralokinumab vs. placebo for moderateto-severe AD in patients age ≥12 years. Methods: This post-hoc analysis presents data from the adult trials ECZTRA 1 and 2 (NCT03131648 and NCT03160885 pooled; 300 mg tralokinumab every 2 weeks [Q2W] vs. placebo) and ECZTRA 3 (NCT03363854; 300 mg tralokinumab Q2W vs. placebo, both plus TCS as needed), and the ECZTRA 6 adolescent trial (NCT03526861; pooled 150 mg and 300 mg tralokinumab Q2W vs. placebo). Tralokinumab-treated patients received a loading dose. Proportion of patients achieving IGA 0/1 and EASI-75 at Week 16 according to patient-reported current or past atopic comorbidity are presented as observed regardless of rescue medication use; missing data were imputed as non-responders. Results: In total 2,223 patients were included across four trials. Among patients in ECZTRA 1 and 2, 50.5% reported history of asthma, 38.5% food allergy, 53.8% hay fever, and 33.5% allergic conjunctivitis, while 19.8% reported no atopic comorbidities and 79.3% reported ≥1 atopic comorbidity. Proportions of patients in ECZTRA 3 and 6 reporting history of atopic comorbidities were largely similar, although more adolescent patients reported food allergy. In all subgroups at Week 16, higher proportions of patients receiving tralokinumab vs. placebo achieved EASI-75. In ECZTRA 1 and 2, response rates among patients in each subgroup were asthma: 35.3% vs. 12.8%, food allergy: 33.2% vs. 14.7%, hay fever: 36.8% vs. 16.5%, allergic conjunctivitis: 34.8% vs. 12.7%, none: 34.6% vs. 20.5%; and ≥1 atopic comorbidity: 35.5% vs. 15.2% (P<0.05 for all). A similar pattern of response was observed in ECZTRA 3 and 6, and for IGA 0/1 across trials. EASI-75 response rates for tralokinumab-treated patients were consistent across patients with different numbers of atopic comorbidities. Safety across subgroups was consistent with the safety profile of tralokinumab observed overall in adults and adolescents. Conclusions: 16 weeks of tralokinumab treatment improved AD signs and symptoms in adult and adolescent patients with and without atopic comorbidities, regardless of type or number of atopic comorbidities. The safety profile of tralokinumab was consistent between patients with and without atopic comorbidities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Real-world studies complement randomized controlled trials (RCT), providing treatment-pattern and effectiveness data within a heterogenous population. In several RCTs, dupilumab has demonstrated a robust efficacy profile in patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD). The main objectives of the ongoing GLOBOSTAD (NCT03992417) study are characterizing the patient population treated with dupilumab, their usage patterns, long-term effectiveness, and safety of dupilumab in real-world AD treatment. However, clinical practice details can differ among countries and/or regions. Objectives: To give a comprehensive overview of patients in Japan enrolled in the GLOBOSTAD study -demographics, history of comorbidities, prior AD treatments, and reasons for initiating dupilumab treatment at baseline; to report on dupilumab effectiveness through physician-assessed AD clinical tools and patient-reported outcomes; and to provide a summary of adverse events one year after initiating dupilumab treatment. Methods: The GLOBOSTAD five-year, multinational, prospective, observational study enrolled patients aged =12 years with moderate-to-severe AD. Patients received dupilumab based on country-specific prescribing information. In Japan, dupilumab is indicated for patients with moderate-to-severe AD who have not responded adequately to topical anti-inflammatory treatments.1 Assessments were performed at baseline, 3 months (M; ±1M), 6M (±2M), and 12M (±2M). Data are reported as observed for enrollment/safety (N=118; data cutoff: March 2023) and follow-up (N=114) populations. Results: Of the 118 patients enrolled in Japan in the GLOBOSTAD study, 69 (58.5%) were aged 18 to 39 years and 43 (36.4%) aged 40 to 64, with mean (standard deviation, SD) age of 37.2 (14.2) years. The population comprised 84 (71.2%) male and 34 (28.8%) female patients. Prior to enrollment, one or more comorbidities were reported in 66 (55.9%) patients, of which type 2 inflammatory comorbidities, such as allergic rhinitis (45; 38.1%), asthma (27; 22.9%), and food allergies (20; 16.9%), were the most frequently reported. Thirty-three (28.0%) patients reported using systemic AD treatments prior to enrollment, primarily systemic immunosuppressants (17; 14.4%) and systemic corticosteroids (13; 11.0%). Eighty (67.8%) patients reported using non-systemic treatments for AD, including topical corticosteroids (70; 59.3%) and topical calcineurin inhibitors (25; 21.2%). The predominant reason for initiating dupilumab treatment was previous treatment failure (95; 80.5%). Dupilumab treatment was initiated in 117 patients with a loading dose of 600 mg dupilumab, and in 1 patient with 300 mg dupilumab. During the study, mean (SD) Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI; >21=severe; ≤7=mild/no disease) score rapidly improved from 30.2 (12.3) at baseline to 9.3 (10.3) at 3M, and further to 6.5 (8.2) at 6M and 4.6 (7.5) at the end of observation period (12M). Similarly, mean (SD) patient-reported pruritus Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) score improved from 5.6 (2.4) at baseline to 1.9 (2.1) at 3M, and further to 1.5 (1.9) at 6M and 1.2 (1.6) at 12M. Dupilumab-related adverse events were reported in 30 (25.4%) patients; no events led to dupilumab discontinuation. Conclusion: Most adults with moderate-to-severe AD enrolled in the GLOBOSTAD study in Japan reported previously using systemic and/or non-systemic AD treatments; previous treatment failure was cited as the main reason for dupilumab initiation. In line with the local indication, in the 12 months prior to dupilumab initiation, reported systemic immunosuppressant use was less, whereas reported TCS/TCI use was greater, compared to the total GLOBOSTAD population.2 Real-world effectiveness of dupilumab was evaluated using clinical AD tools and patient-reported outcomes; EASI and pruritus NRS scores rapidly improved when patients initiated dupilumab treatment. Improved scores were sustained through the end of the one-year observation period, and safety data were consistent with previous studies. Similar to the overall population enrolled in the GLOBOSTAD study, patients in Japan achieved clinically meaningful improvements in AD signs/symptoms on initiating dupilumab treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) are more likely than the general population to have other type 2 associated conditions, for example, asthma, allergic rhinitis (AR) and food allergy (FA).1,2 Classically, the atopic march is thought to begin with AD and progresses to FA, asthma and AR,1,2 but this may be an oversimplification. This study aimed to describe the epidemiology of type 2 associated conditions included in the atopic march among patients newly diagnosed with AD in a large healthcare provider database in Israel. This retrospective cohort study was performed using the Maccabi Healthcare Services database in Israel, which includes over 2.5 million members. Based on the International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision (ICD-9) diagnosis codes, patients with diagnosed AD during 2000–2019 were identified. The earliest AD diagnosis was defined as the index date and patients had to have been enrolled for ≥12 months pre-index to exclude prevalent AD. Diagnosis data were obtained during 1998–2020 to describe the cumulative prevalence of asthma, AR and FA pre- and post-AD diagnosis (−1, 0, 1, 5, 10 and 20 years) using Kaplan–Meier analysis among patients aged <3, 3–5, 6–11, 12–17 and ≥18 years at AD diagnosis. The study included 243,687 patients (51.6% female) with AD. The median (interquartile range) age at AD diagnosis was 4.3 (1.1–22.8) years, with 43.9% and 72.7% of patients diagnosed before age 3 and 18 years, respectively. At AD diagnosis, 28.1% had a prior/concurrent diagnosis of asthma/AR/ FA (asthma: 17.1%, AR: 12.8%, FA: 3.4%). Among patients diagnosed with AD at age <3 years, 16.2% had been diagnosed with asthma/AR/FA by/at the time of their AD diagnosis (asthma: 10.6%, AR: 2.2%, FA: 4.9%). In this youngest age group, the cumulative prevalences of asthma/AR/FA were 28.8%, 42.7%, 49.6% and 59.6% within 1, 5, 10 and 20 years post-AD diagnosis. Among patients diagnosed with AD in adulthood, 37.7% had been diagnosed with asthma/AR/FA by/at the time they were diagnosed with AD (asthma: 16.5%, AR: 29.7%, FA: 0.8%). It this oldest age group, the cumulative prevalences of asthma/AR/FA were 40.3%, 46.1%, 50.9% and 57.6% within 1, 5, 10 and 20 years post-AD diagnosis. The results of this real-world analysis are consistent with previous evidence that AD is primarily a childhood-onset disease. The sharpest increase in type 2 associated conditions was seen in the 5 years post-AD diagnosis among patients diagnosed with AD at age <3 years. Most adults newly diagnosed with AD who developed another type 2 associated condition had already done so prior to AD diagnosis, although it is possible that earlier AD diagnoses were not captured. Regardless of age at AD diagnosis, nearly 60% of patients with AD were estimated to have ≥1 of asthma/AR/FA within 20 years of their AD diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dear Editor, Fish allergy (FA) is the second most frequent type of food allergy in Japan.[1] Fish allergens listed in the database of the World Health Organization include parvalbumin, which is known to be the major allergen, -enolase, aldolase A, vitellogenin and tropomyosin.[2] Patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) have an increased risk for sensitization to allergens because of their increased skin barrier permeability.[3] Here, we enrolled six patients with FA, who had also been diagnosed with AD according to the diagnostic criteria of the Japanese guidelines.[4] A table summarizing the clinical details of the patients and controls is available on request from the authors. All the patients showed immediate-type responses, such as urticaria or anaphylaxis, upon eating fish and had positive results on skin prick tests and/or serum IgE reactivity with CAP for fish allergens. The expected allergen recognized by the patient's IgE but not by the control IgE was a protein of approximately 230 kDa at a I pI i of 4-5-6-0 (Fig. b, c). [Extracted from the article]

Background Immune dysregulation, polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy, X-linked (IPEX) syndrome is a rare disorder characterized by neonatal autoimmune enteropathy, diabetes and thyroiditis, food allergies and skin rash. IPEX syndrome is caused by mutations in FOXP3, a master control gene of regulatory T cells (Tregs), resulting in absent or dysfunctional Tregs. Data in the literature are scarce and the cutaneous manifestations are rarely depicted. Objectives To evaluate the frequency and characteristics of cutaneous manifestations found in IPEX. Methods Retrospective single-centre study of a case series of IPEX. Patients’ data were retrieved from medical files and numerous parameters concerning general and cutaneous characteristics of the disease were recorded. Results Ten children with IPEX were studied. Cutaneous involvement was present in seven of 10 chidren; age at onset was 0–4 months, median 1·5. All patients presented with atopic dermatitis (AD). Three presented more psoriasiform lesions. Eczema was severe; most affected areas were lower limbs, trunk and face. Pruritus was present in four of seven, and painful fissurary cheilitis in four of seven. Hyper-IgE was found in seven of 10 and hypereosinophilia in five of 10. Skin biopsies showed eczematiform or psoriasiform features. Affected patients were improved by dermocorticoids; no clear improvement was obtained with immunosuppressive regimens. Other features were urticaria secondary to food allergies and staphylococcal sepsis, mostly Staphylococcus aureus and catheter related. Conclusions AD seems to be a frequent finding in IPEX syndrome, which is characterized by Treg anomalies. This hints to a possible role of Tregs in AD, which is then discussed in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses the study "Association between atopic dermatitis and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in U.S. children and adults," by M. A. Strom and colleagues. Topics include the link of food allergy and atopic dermatitis (AD) symptoms with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, association between AD and behavioural traits, and the allergic tension-fatigue syndrome.