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Severity of atopic dermatitis (AD) itch and lesions is associated with poor quality of life. However, there is limited evidence describing the combined impact of itch and skin severity on patient outcomes in AD. This study aims to assess the independent and combined effects of itch and skin severity on patient-reported symptoms and quality-of-life outcomes. The study included adult participants (age ≥18 years) with AD enrolled in TARGET-DERM AD, an observational, longitudinal study of more than 3158 participants across 43 academic/community centers in the USA and Canada. Itch severity was assessed by the Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System Itch-Severity, specifically the item evaluating 'itch at its worst', a 0–10 numeric rating scale. A score of 0 or 1 was interpreted as no/minimal itch. Skin severity was assessed by the validated Investigators Global Assessment of AD (vIGA-AD), with a score of 0 or 1 representing clear/almost clear skin (vIGA-AD 0/1). The association of AD symptoms representing patient-reported clear/almost clear disease [Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM) 0–2] and no impact of AD on quality of life [Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) 0/1] with itch and skin severity was assessed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression models that included main and interaction effects for itch and skin severity. Among adult participants (n = 1795; 59% female; 60% non-Hispanic White; mean age 44.5 years), vIGA-AD, POEM, Worst Itch and DLQI data at enrollment were available for 95% (1702), 44% (792), 43% (783) and 43% (783) of participants, respectively. The proportion reporting POEM 0–2 and DLQI 0/1 was highest among those with no/minimal worst itch (73% POEM 0–2; 72% DLQI 0/1) and clear/almost clear skin (46% POEM 0–2; 45% DLQI 0/1), with decreasing proportions observed at greater itch and skin severity levels. Among those with both no/minimal itch and clear/almost clear skin, 87.5% (42/48) and 95.8% (46/48) reported POEM 0–2 and DLQI 0/1, respectively. Logistic regression results suggest that no/minimal itch and clear/almost clear skin are significantly associated with POEM 0–2 and DLQI 0/1, though the interaction effect was not statistically significant in despite all models assessed. Relative to those who did not have either no/minimal itch or clear/almost clear skin, the odds ratio of reporting POEM 0–2 and DLQI 0/1 was highest among those with both no/minimal itch and clear/almost clear skin (82.9 for POEM 0–2; 35.4 for DLQI 0/1), followed by no/minimal itch only (15.9 for POEM 0–2; 10.5 for DLQI 0/1) and clear/almost clear skin only (5.9 for POEM 0–2; 3.8 for DLQI 0/1). Complete or almost complete relief of itch and skin lesions is associated with greater odds of achieving ideal states in PROs (POEM and DLQI) with itch relief exhibiting a relatively higher impact than skin clearance. These results underscore the importance of assessing and documenting both itch severity and skin clearance to support shared decision-making. Moreover, clearance of both itch and skin lesions should be considered when setting treatment goals in patients with AD. Future research should include analyzing discrepant data (e.g. patients with no/minimal itch, but some skin lesions) to more precisely identify which aspect drives the patient-reported outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Pain and itch are common symptoms reported by patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma), which can markedly diminish function and health-related quality of life (HRQL).Objectives: The aim of this exploratory study was to examine the impact that pain, itch, and the interaction of both have on function (depressive symptoms, overall disability, fatigue, sleep disturbance) and HRQL in patients with SSc.Methods: A total of 964 patients from the Canadian Scleroderma Reserch Group Registry completed questionnaires measuring itch and pain severity, function, and HRQL. Multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the impact that pain, itch, and pain × itch interaction have on each outcome variable while controlling for demographic measures. A P-value of ≤0.01 was required for a difference to be deemed statistically significant.Results: Our results revealed that patients with SSc who reported higher pain and itch severity were also more likely to have greater depressive symptoms, overall disability, sleep and fatigue problems, even when demographic measures were controlled for (P-values ≤0.001). Similar results were obtained for HRQL, regardless of the domains (P-values ≤0.001). A significant association between pain × itch interaction and sleep (P = 0.002), physical functioning (P = 0.003), and general health (P ≤ 0.001) variables also was found. Further investigation of the nature of the pain × itch interaction showed that the effect of pain severity on outcome variables diminishes as itch severity increases.Conclusion: Both pain and itch appear to have a detrimental impact on functioning and HRQL in patients with SSc, suggesting that more targeted approaches to symptom management are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Baricitinib, an oral selective Janus kinase 1/Janus kinase 2 inhibitor, is being studied for moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in adults., Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of baricitinib monotherapy in a North American phase 3 trial (BREEZE-AD5/NCT03435081) of adults with moderate-to-severe AD who responded inadequately or were intolerant to topical therapy., Methods: Patients (N = 440) were randomized 1:1:1 to once-daily placebo or baricitinib (1 mg or 2 mg). The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients achieving ≥75% reduction in the Eczema Area and Severity Index at week 16. A key secondary endpoint was the proportion of patients achieving a validated Investigator Global Assessment for AD score of 0 (clear)/1(almost clear) with ≥2-point improvement., Results: At week 16, the proportion of patients achieving Eczema Area and Severity Index was 8%, 13%, and 30% (P < .001, 2 mg vs placebo) and those with a validated Investigator Global Assessment for AD score of 0/1 were 5%, 13%, and 24% (P < .001, 2 mg vs placebo) for placebo, baricitinib 1 mg, and baricitinib 2 mg, respectively. Safety findings were similar to those of other baricitinib AD studies., Limitations: Short-term clinical trial results may not be generalizable to real-world settings., Conclusion: Baricitinib was efficacious for patients with moderate-to-severe AD with no new safety findings over 16 weeks., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest Dr Simpson reports grants and fees for participation as a consultant and principal investigator from Eli Lilly and Company, LEO Pharma, Pfizer, and Regeneron; grants for participation as a principal investigator from Galderma and Merck & Co; and fees for consultant services from AbbVie, Boehringer Ingelheim, Dermavant Incyte, Forte Bio, Pierre Fabre Dermo, and Sanofi Genzyme. Dr Forman is a consultant, investigator, advisory board member, and/or speaker for and receives funding and/or honoraria from AbbVie, Aclaris Therapeutics Inc, Asana BioSciences, AstraZeneca, Athenex, Celgene Corporation, Cutanea Life Sciences, Eli Lilly and Company, Incyte Corporation, Innovaderm Research Inc, Novartis, Pfizer Inc, Promius Pharma LLC, Regeneron, UCB, Valeant Pharmaceuticals North America LLC, and XBiotech. Dr Silverberg served as a consultant and/or advisory board member for AbbVie, Arena, Asana, Bluefin, Boehringer Ingelheim, Dermavant, Dermira, Eli Lilly and Company, Galderma, GlaxoSmithKline, Glenmark, Incyte, Kiniksa, Leo, Luna, Novartis, Pfizer, RAPT, Regeneron, and Sanofi, receiving honoraria; served as a speaker for Regeneron-Sanofi; and received research grants from Galderma. Dr Zirwas is a consultant, investigator, and/or speaker for Regeneron, Sanofi, Genench, Novartis, L'Oreal, Menlo, Leo, Eli Lilly and Company, Ortho Derm, and Arcutis and is a part owner of AsepticMD. Dr Han is a consultant for Eli Lilly and Company, Regeneron, Sanofi, and Pfizer. Dr Guttman-Yassky is a consultant for AbbVie, Almirall, Amgen, Asana Biosciences, Boehringer Ingelhiem, Cara Therapeutics, Celgene, Concert, DBV, Dermira, DS Biopharma, Eli Lilly and Company, EMD Serono, Escalier, Galderma, Glenmark, Kyowa Kirin, LEO Pharma, Mitsubishi Tanabe, Pfizer, RAPT Therapeutics, Regeneron, Sanofi, Sienna Biopharma, and Union Therapeutics and reports institute grants for research from AbbVie, Almirall, Amgen, AnaptysBio, Asana Biosciences, Boehringer Ingelhiem, Celgene, Dermavant, DS Biopharma, Eli Lilly and Company, Glenmark, Galderma, Innovaderm, Janssen, Kiniska, Kyowa Kirin, Leo Pharma, Novan, Pfizer, Ralexar, Regeneron, Sienna Biopharma, UCB, and Union Therapeutics. Dr Bissonnette is an advisory board member, consultant, speaker and/or investigator for and receives honoraria and/or grant from AbbVie, Arcutis, Arena Pharma, Asana BioSciences, Bellus Health, Boehringer Ingelheim, CARA, Dermavant, Eli Lilly, EMD Serono, Galderma, Incyte, Kiniksa, Kyowa Kirin, LEO Pharma, Novan, Pfizer, Ralexar, RAPT, Regeneron, Sanofi Genzyme, and Sienna and is an employee and shareholder of Innovaderm Research. Dr Waibel is an investigator, consultant speaker for, and/or receives honoraria from AbbVie, Pfizer, Candela, Cytrellis, Dominion, Eli Lilly and Company, Novartis, Sebacia, and Sciton. Dr Papp is a consultant, speaker, investigator, scientific officer, steering committee member, and/or advisory board member for AbbVie, Akros, Amgen, Anacor, Arcutis, Astellas, Bausch Health/Valeant, Baxalta, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Can-Fite Biopharma, Celgene, Coherus, Dermira, Dow Pharma, Eli Lilly and Company, Evelo, Galapagos, Galderma, Genentech, Gilead, GSK, Janssen, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, Leo, Medimmune, Meiji Seika Pharma, Merck (MSD), Merck- Serono, Mitsubishi Pharma, Moberg Pharma, Novartis, Pfizer, PRCL Research, Regeneron, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis/Genzyme, Sun Pharma, Takeda, UCB. Drs Nunes, Holzwarth, and Janes and authors DeLozier and Angle are employees and shareholders of Eli Lilly and Company. Drs Gamalo and Goldblum were employees of Eli Lilly and Company during the study. Drs Maverakis and Marnell and author Zhong have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Scalp conditions are often multifactorial., Objective: To characterize patients with scalp involvement and patch-testing outcomes., Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional analysis of North American Contact Dermatitis Group data (1996-2016). Study groups included patients with scalp involvement (≤3 anatomic sites coded) with or without additional sites., Results: A total of 4.8% of patients (2331/48,753) had scalp identified as 1 of up to 3 affected anatomic sites. Approximately one-third of "scalp-only" individuals had a specific primary diagnosis of allergic contact dermatitis (38.6%), followed by seborrheic dermatitis (17.2%) and irritant contact dermatitis (9.3%). When adjacent anatomic sites were affected, allergic contact dermatitis was more frequently identified as the primary diagnosis (>50%). The top 5 currently clinically relevant allergens in scalp-only patients were p-phenylenediamine, fragrance mix I, nickel sulfate, balsam of Peru, and cinnamic aldehyde. Methylisothiazolinone sensitivity was notable when adjacent anatomic sites were involved. The top 3 specifically identified sources for scalp-only allergens were hair dyes, shampoo/conditioners, and consumer items (eg, hair appliances, glasses)., Limitations: Tertiary referral population., Conclusion: Isolated scalp involvement was less likely to be associated with allergic contact dermatitis than when adjacent anatomic sites were involved. Overlap with multiple diagnoses was frequent, including seborrheic dermatitis, irritant dermatitis, other dermatoses, or all 3. p-Phenylenediamine was the most common allergen., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objectives: One previous study has estimated the prevalence of pruritus in SSc, but that study had important limitations due to a relatively small sample size. The present study updates the analyses of the previous study using a substantially larger patient sample. The objectives were to (i) document the proportion of patients who experience pruritus on most days overall and by disease duration and (ii) identify clinical correlates of pruritus., Methods: Patients from the Canadian Scleroderma Research Group Registry ≥1 year after registry enrolment were asked on two consecutive annual visits whether they had experienced pruritus in the past month on most days and underwent clinical history and medical examination. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess the association between sociodemographic and clinical variables and pruritus., Results: Among 959 patients, 42.6% reported pruritus. Of 693 patients with data for both visits, 333 (48%) did not report pruritus at either visit, 209 (30%) reported pruritus at both visits and 151 (22%) reported pruritus at one, but not the other, visit. The presence of pruritus was independently associated with greater skin involvement [odds ratio (OR) = 1.02, 95% CI 1.00, 1.04, P = 0.017] and greater gastrointestinal involvement (OR = 1.24, 95% CI 1.04, 1.48, P = 0.018)., Conclusion: Pruritus is common in SSc across the course of the disease and has small but statistically significant associations with the degree of skin involvement and gastrointestinal system involvement.