Top 5 Most-Read AD Content of 2023

The top 5 most-read atopic dermatitis (AD) articles and interviews on AJMC.com this year included coverage exploring the impacts of different treatment methods, as well as an unconventional AD education tool.

Here are the 5 most-viewed AD pieces of 2023.

5. WhatsApp Effective as Atopic Dermatitis Education Tool

AD is a prevalent disease in the Hispanic community due to health care access barriers, which researchers explained could be prevented with cost-effective, culturally competent, easily accessed interventions available in Spanish. This article published in April summarized study findings of what AD knowledge Hispanic patients with AD and parents of pediatric patients with AD retained after completing a 7-day educational module via WhatsApp. Overall, the study found a 14% increase in AD knowledge among program participants, the researchers correlating this to WhatsApp being both free and easy to access.

Read the full article.

4. Combo Therapy Relieves Delayed Rash Symptoms in AD Following mRNA Vaccine

This article published in May summarized a case report that found that the new mRNA COVID-19 vaccines could be linked to delayed generalized hypersensitivity reactions in patients with AD. The case report detailed the experience of an 83-year-old woman with AD and a history of chronic kidney disease who presented to the hospital with widespread pruritic urticarial indurated papules on her arms, legs, and palms 6 months after she received the mRNA booster dose. Although other treatments did not alleviate her symptoms, they significantly improved after she was started on dupilumab (Dupixent) subcutaneous injection and prednisone 10 mg.

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3. More Than Half of Adults With Moderate to Severe AD Report Conditions That May Influence Selection of JAK Inhibitors

An article originally published by Dermatology Times^® in October reported findings from a poster presented at the 2023 Society of Dermatology Physician Assistants Fall Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, which sought to estimate the proportion of patients with moderate to severe AD with conditions or considerations impacting JAK inhibitor use. The researchers determined that more than half of adult patients had a condition or potential consideration impacting or influencing their selection of a JAK inhibitor; these considerations included an increased risk of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and an age above 65 years.

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2. Staphylococcus Aureus Mutations During Treatment for Atopic Dermatitis

The pathogen Staphylococcus aureus (S aureus) is found on healthy skin, but it is more prevalently found on diseased skin as it exploits the fragile skin barrier. Consequently, this article originally published in Dermatology Times^® in July summarized findings from a study where researchers sought to understand the impact of de novo microbiome mutations on diseases like AD. From this study, they found that S aureus often invades the skin of those with AD, worsening the disease by increasing skin damage.

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1. Infections, Antibiotic Use Closely Associated With Late-Onset AD

Antibiotic use and infections are closely associated with late-onset AD development, according to this article published in August that reported findings from a nationwide population-based case-control study.
The researchers conducted the study to investigate potential differences in the influence of antibiotic use or infections on AD risk according to patients’ onset ages. They found that respiratory infections in particular strongly influenced late-onset AD development. A key takeaway from this study was that preventing infections can be a way to reduce AD risk, especially late-onset AD.

Read the full article.