Prevalence and burden of atopic dermatitis involving the head, neck, face, and hand: A cross sectional study from the TARGET-DERM AD cohort

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is severely burdensome, and there has been poor characterization of any differences in impact based on the area affected. Objective: To estimate the prevalence and HRQoL impact of head/face/neck/hand (HFNH) involvement among patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. Methods: All TARGET-DERM AD registry patients with moderate/severe Investigator Global Assessment (vIGA-AD) were assessed using the Patient Oriented SCORing Atopic Dermatitis, Patient Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM) and the (Children's) Dermatology Life Quality Index ((C)DLQI). Results: 541 participants met the criteria (75.0% adults) and 84% (N = 453) reported HFNH involvement. HFNH and non-HFNH involved participants had similar characteristics; 55.2% female and 46.9% White. Compared to the non-HFNH involved, the involved had severe vIGA-AD (28.5% vs 16.3%, P = .02) and higher median body surface area affected (15% vs 10%, P ≤ .01) and were twice as likely to have higher (C)DLQI and POEM scores. Limitations: This was an analysis of real-world and patient reported outcome data. Conclusion: Real-world HFNH involved AD patients were associated with significantly worse quality of life, POEM/(C)DLQI, and more severe disease. Detailed assessments of specific areas affected by AD are needed to personalize treatment.