Patient burden of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD): Insights from a phase 2b clinical trial of dupilumab in adults

Background The adult burden of atopic dermatitis (AD) is poorly characterized. Objective We sought to characterize AD burden in adults with moderate to severe disease from the patient's perspective. Methods Patient-reported outcomes collected at screening in a phase 2b clinical trial of dupilumab included pruritus numeric rating scale, 5-Dimension Pruritus Scale, subjective components of SCORing AD, Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Dermatology Life Quality Index, and 5-Dimension EuroQol. Results Most of the 380 patients had been living with AD for nearly all their lives, whereas approximately 40% were given a diagnosis as adults; 40.3% had asthma and 60.5% had other allergic conditions. Despite 48.2% of patients using systemic therapies in the past year, patients reported problems with itch frequency (85% of patients), duration (41.5% reported itching ≥18 h/d), and severity (6.5 of 10 on numeric rating scale); 55% reported AD-related sleep disturbances 5 d/wk or more. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale scores suggesting clinically relevant anxiety or depression were reported by 21.8% of patients. Quality of life was impaired on Dermatology Life Quality Index and 5-dimension EuroQol. Limitations This study had limited generalizability; conclusions may not reflect those with mild AD or not participating in a clinical trial. Conclusions Adults with moderate to severe AD report multidimensional burden including disease activity, patient-reported symptoms, comorbidities, and quality-of-life impact.