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Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease affecting up to 20% of children and 10% of adults worldwide. Current research suggests a correlation between serum vitamin D level and AD severity and that vitamin D supplementation could have a potential therapeutic effect on AD. Objectives: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies of vitamin D supplementation for disease improvement in children and adults with AD. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane were searched from 19 April to 20 April 2024. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of patients with AD comparing an intervention group with a control group. The risk of bias of the selected studies was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials. All analyses were conducted in R (v4.1.2; R Core Team 2021). Results: Eleven RCTs with 686 participants were included. The included trials had measured AD severity by using the SCOring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) or the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI). Vitamin D supplementation significantly reduced AD severity compared with the control group (standardized mean difference = −0.41, 95% CI: −0.67 to −0.16, I2 = 58%, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Vitamin D supplementation reduces AD severity in children and adults. Larger-scale and longer-term studies are still needed to confirm this conclusion. This study has been registered on PROSPERO (CRD42024535014). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin condition with increasing prevalence worldwide, significantly affecting quality of life. While dietary factors are suspected to influence the onset and severity of AD, the relationship between comprehensive dietary patterns and AD, particularly in conjunction with comorbidities such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, and food allergies, remains underexplored. This study aims to investigate the dietary patterns of adults and children with AD and their association with disease severity and the presence of comorbidities. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 150 patients diagnosed with AD, recruited from the Department of Dermatology, Venereology, and Leprology (DVL). Dietary patterns were assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), and AD severity was measured using the Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index. The presence of comorbidities, including asthma, allergic rhinitis, and food allergies, was confirmed through patient history, clinical examination, and review of medical records. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, t-tests, and multivariate logistic regression. Results: The study found that the mixed diet pattern had the highest adherence (mean ± SD: 7.1 ± 1.9), followed by vegetarian (5.8 ± 1.9) and non-vegetarian (5.1 ± 2.0) patterns. The mean SCORAD index was 43.8 ± 14.1, indicating moderate to severe AD. Pruritus and sleep loss scores were 5.1 ± 2.0 and 4.1 ± 1.9, respectively. The prevalence of comorbidities was 36.7% for asthma, 57.3% for allergic rhinitis, and 32.0% for food allergies. The study identified significant associations between dietary patterns and AD severity, as well as with the presence of comorbidities. Conclusions: This study highlights the potential impact of dietary patterns on AD severity and the high prevalence of comorbidities among individuals with AD. The findings suggest that a mixed dietary pattern may be commonly adhered to by AD patients and could play a role in managing the disease. The study emphasizes the need for a multidisciplinary approach in managing AD, considering both dietary interventions and the treatment of comorbid conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The immunological pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD) and chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) has not been fully elucidated yet. The aim of our research was to assess the serum concentration of interleukin-5 receptor (IL-5R) in relation to the disease activity and pruritus intensity in adult patients with AD and CSU. This pilot study included 45 participants (15 patients with AD, 15 patients with CSU, and 15 healthy controls). Blood samples were taken to examine the serum levels of IL-5R using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test. The Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index, the Urticaria Activity Score (UAS7), and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) were used to assess the disease activity and the pruritus intensity, respectively. Obtained results revealed that the IL-5R concentration was significantly higher in patients with CSU than in patients with AD and in the controls (p = 0.038). There was a positive correlation between the IL-5R level and the SCORAD index in patients with AD (r = −0.9, p = 0.047), which was not found for the CSU activity by UAS7 and with the pruritus severity by VAS in both examined groups of patients. Our findings underscore higher serum levels of IL-5R among CSU and AD patients, which may highlight its functional role in the pathogenesis of these diseases. In contrast, IL-5R might not be fully useful in reflecting the severity of symptoms. Although our results are promising, this study should be conducted on a larger cohort of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundAtopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic relapsing, pruritic, inflammatory skin disease. Assessing the characteristics and risk factors of severe AD is central to healthcare workers’ understanding and subsequent education of patients for the most optimal outcomes. The clinical characteristics are known to vary depending on populations and regions. AD has been well-documented in the global North in mainly Caucasian populations, while very few studies have been conducted on African patients residing in Africa. This study assessed the clinical characteristics, severity, and sociodemographic factors of children with AD in Southern Ethiopia.MethodsA hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 461 children and their caregivers in four randomly selected hospitals in Southern Ethiopia from October 2022 to September 2023. A systematic sampling technique was used to enroll study participants. Clinical profile and sociodemographic data were collected by trained data collectors. The Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index tool was used. The descriptive analysis was performed to characterize study participants. Univariate and ordinary logistic regression were used to identify factors associated with the SCORAD index score. The OR with 95% was used to show the strength of association, and a p-value of

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic relapsing, pruritic, inflammatory skin disease. Assessing the characteristics and risk factors of severe AD is central to healthcare workers' understanding and subsequent education of patients for the most optimal outcomes. The clinical characteristics are known to vary depending on populations and regions. AD has been well-documented in the global North in mainly Caucasian populations, while very few studies have been conducted on African patients residing in Africa. This study assessed the clinical characteristics, severity, and sociodemographic factors of children with AD in Southern Ethiopia., Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 461 children and their caregivers in four randomly selected hospitals in Southern Ethiopia from October 2022 to September 2023. A systematic sampling technique was used to enroll study participants. Clinical profile and sociodemographic data were collected by trained data collectors. The Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index tool was used. The descriptive analysis was performed to characterize study participants. Univariate and ordinary logistic regression were used to identify factors associated with the SCORAD index score. The OR with 95% was used to show the strength of association, and a p- value of <0.05 was used to declare the level of significance., Result: Out of 461 AD-diagnosed children, 212 (46%) were girls and 249 (54%) were boys. In the sample of pediatric patients, 149 (32.3%) exhibited mild AD, 231 (46.2%) presented with moderate, and 99 (21.5%) showed signs and symptoms of severe AD. All patients had itching. Dryness of skin, excoriation, and erythema, followed by lichenification, were the most observed signs. In the ordinary logistic regression model, age onset of the disease [AOR 95% CI 1.95 (1.3-2.94)], sex of caregiver or family [AOR 95% CI 0.61 (0.41-0.90)], family atopy history [AOR 95% CI 0.64 (0.44-0.93)], mother education status [95% CI 2.45 (1.1-5.47)], and use of herbal medication [AOR 95% CI 0.50 (0.33-0.79)] were significantly associated with the severity of AD., Conclusion: In this study, 68% of children were found to have moderate-to-severe AD. Early onset, maternal education, familial atopy history, sex of caregiver, and use of herbal medication were independent predictors of severe AD in children. We recommend further investigation into these variables for their potential to serve as markers to assess the severity of AD and improve the care and management of children with AD in Ethiopia., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Kelbore, Enbiale, van Wyk and Mosam.)