Objective: This systematic review and network meta-analysis aimed to compare and evaluate the efficacy and safety of five medications, Dupilumab, Tralokinumab, Upadacitinib, Baricitinib, and Abrocitinib, for the treatment of adolescent atopic dermatitis, in order to provide decision support to support clinical decision-making by developing more scientifically-grounded and effective treatment strategies. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science (WoS), and the Cochrane database to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and Phase 3 clinical trials up to April 13, 2024. Supplementary data were retrieved from trial registries, and researchers contacted study authors and pharmaceutical companies when necessary to obtain complete data. Inclusion criteria comprised treatment studies for moderate to severe atopic dermatitis in adolescents aged 12 and above, with outcome measures including efficacy and safety assessments. Data extraction and risk bias assessment were independently performed by two researchers, using Excel for data extraction and the netmeta package in R software for network meta-analysis. Sensitivity analysis and bias risk assessment were conducted to validate the robustness and credibility of the results. Our research protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023480597) and did not require approval from an institutional review board or written informed consent. Results: In the primary efficacy outcome measures, Upadacitinib 30mg/d, Upadacitinib 15mg/d, and Dupilumab 300mg/2w demonstrated excellent efficacy in EASI75 compared to placebo, significantly outperforming other medications and placebo. Dupilumab 300 mg/2w, Upadacitinib 30 mg/d, and Upadacitinib 15mg/d showed excellent treatment effects in IGA0/1. Among the outcome measures for improvement in itch severity rating PP-NRS4, Dupilumab 300mg/2w and Tralokinumab 300mg/2w showed the highest efficacy values. Compared to these medications, Baricitinib 1mg/d exhibited weaker performance across all three indicators, particularly in EASI75 and IGA0/1, with effects approaching no significant difference. Due to limited sample sizes, estimates for treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), serious adverse events (SAEs), and drug-induced adverse events (DIAEs) safety indicators were unstable, preventing strong conclusions on safety outcomes. Further studies with long-term follow-up and larger sample sizes are required to explore the safety of these five medications in the adolescent population. Conclusion: Upadacitinib and Dupilumab demonstrate strong efficacy and symptom improvement in the treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis in adolescents, particularly in reducing the severity of skin lesions and itchiness. Therefore, these medications should be considered as primary treatment options for adolescents with atopic dermatitis.

Background: Information/communication technologies such as mobile phone applications (apps) would enable chronic urticaria (CU) patients to self-evaluate their disease activity and control. Yet, recently Antó et al (2021) reported a global paucity of such apps for patients with CU. In this analysis, we assessed patient interest in using apps to monitor CU disease activity and control using questions from the CURICT study, Methods: The methodology for CURICT has been reported. Briefly, a 23-item questionnaire was completed by 1,841 CU patients from 17 UCAREs across 17 countries. Here, we analyzed patient responses to the CURICT questions on the use of apps for urticaria-related purposes. Results: As previously published, the majority of respondents had chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU; 63%; 18% chronic inducible urticaria [CIndu]; 19% with both), were female (70%) and in urban areas (75%). Over half of patients were very/extremely interested in an app to monitor disease activity (51%) and control (53%), while only ~1/10 were not. Patients with both urticaria types vs those with CSU only (OR, 1.36 [1.03-1.79]) and females vs males (OR[95%CI], 1.47 [1.17-1.85]) were more likely to be very to extremely interested in an app to assess disease control. Conclusions: Overall, patients with CU were highly interested in using an app to assess their disease activity and control. Development of well-designed apps, specific to disease types (CSU, CIndU, CSU+CIndU, etc), validated by experts across platforms would help improve the management and possibly outcomes of CU treatment while providing important patient information to be used in future research.

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is one of the most prevalent chronic inflammatory skin disorders that causes great disease burdens world-wide. The demographics and clinical characteristics of AD are different between countries, regions, and age groups yet these differences were not well characterized in China. To get well guidance for AD clinicians, we described the demographics, clinical characteristics, comorbidities, patient-identified aggravating factors and treatment of AD in all-age patients in China. Methods: This study included Chinese individuals diagnosed with AD by accredited clinicians in the department of dermatology of 205 hospitals from 31/34 provincial administrative divisions across China during August, 2021 to September, 2022. All included patients completed dermatologist-lead interviews regarding their general medical history, comorbidities, AD-related aggravating factors and medications. Two-level mixed ordered logistic regression was used to evaluate factors for aggravation of the disease. Results: Overall, 16838 respondents were included in the final analysis with a mean age of 30.94 years (standard deviation, ± 24.08 years). The proportion of patients with severe AD was the highest in patients with onset of AD at ≥60 years old (26.73%). Allergic rhinitis and hypertension were the most common atopic and non-atopic comorbidities, respectively. AD severity was significantly associated with chronic urticaria, food allergy and diabetes. There was a high proportion of severe AD in patients who had aggravating factors such as seafood, lamb and beef, chili peppers, alcohol, seasonal changes, and psychological factors. Cross-sectional survey revealed unmet needs of severe AD in treatment strategy, in lack of immunosuppressants’ and biological agents’ application. Conclusion: Treatment of comorbidities and control of aggravating factors significantly contribute to AD management. Improving systemic immunotherapy could reduce the incidence of severe AD.

A document by Xiaoting Song. Click on the document to view its contents.

A document by Miao Yu. Click on the document to view its contents.

Background: The efficacy and safety of omalizumab in adult patients with refractory chronic urticaria (CU) is well established, but there is little information on the treatment of children. Here, we assessed the efficacy, time to onset of effects, improvement of quality of life, and safety of omalizumab in children and adolescents with CU. Methods: Patients aged < 18 years with antihistamine-resistant CU were treated with 150 or 300 mg of omalizumab every four weeks. We used the recently validated Chinese version of urticaria control test (UCT) to assess disease control status, children’s dermatology life quality index (CDLQI) to evaluate quality of life impairment, and monitored adverse events to assess the safety. Results: We treated 12 CU patients (7 female, mean age 10.2 ± 4.4 years, range 3–16) with omalizumab. Two thirds (67%) of the patients achieved well-controlled CU (defined as a UCT score ≥ 12) after the first administration. The UCT score significantly increased from 2.5 (0.0-5.8) at baseline to 12.0 (1.3-13.8) after four weeks (Z=-3.063, P=0.002) and 15.0 (13.5-16.0) after 16 weeks (Z=-3.065, P=0.002). The CDLQI score decreased from 17.5 (14.5-20.5) at baseline to 9.0 (3.0-13.8) after four weeks (Z=-2.984, P=0.003) and 2.0 (0.0-6.8) after 16 weeks (Z=-3.063, P=0.002). No adverse events were observed. Conclusion: Omalizumab is effective, fast acting and safe for children and adolescents with antihistamine-resistant chronic urticaria.