Treatment Patterns and Perceptions of Treatment Options in Japanese Pediatric and Adolescent Patients with Atopic Dermatitis

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Abstract
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a relapsing, chronic inflammatory skin condition characterized by intense itching and eczematous lesions. AD is common in pediatric patients, but treatment options are limited for these patients and data on treatment patterns are scarce. This study aimed to descriptively evaluate treatments used in pediatric AD and physician- and patient-reported perspectives of available options in real-world practice in Japan. Data were drawn from the Adelphi Real World Pediatric and Adolescent AD Disease Specific Programme™, a cross-sectional survey, with retrospective data collection, of physicians and patients in Japan from July to December 2022. Physicians completed patient record forms for their next 3-10 consecutively consulting patients, collecting data on demographics and clinical characteristics, treatment regimens, and perceptions around treatment choice and satisfaction. Patients/caregivers also provided their perceptions on treatment choice and satisfaction. Analyses were descriptive. Overall, 55 physicians provided data for 537 pediatric patients, with 111 patients/caregivers also reporting data. The patient population was 63.3% (n = 340) male, and mean ± standard deviation age was 12.6 ± 4.2 years, with 54.0% (n = 290) of patients classified as pediatric (aged ≤ 14 years) and 46.0% (n = 247) adolescent (aged 15-17 years). Patient treatments included topical corticosteroids (TCS; 89.1%, n = 457/513), biologics (12.3%, n = 63/513), oral JAK-is (7.6%, n = 39/513), and immunosuppressants (1.8%, n = 9/513). Physicians reported that they believe better control could be achieved in 64.8% (n = 332) of patients compared with 93.1% (n = 81) of patients self-reporting this. TCS was the most common treatment in pediatric AD management, in agreement with the current guideline recommendation. Overall, most physicians and patients believed that better control could be achieved. However, in mild patients, most patients believed better control could be achieved, while physicians did not. This suggests that views of disease control, and desire for improved disease control, may differ between physicians and patients.

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