Patient Burden of Atopic Dermatitis

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis is associated with significant patient burden, with impacts from symptoms and visible physical manifestations of the disease. Consequences include detrimental effects on quality of life (QoL), sleep, self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, participation in leisure and sports, and attendance or performance at school or work. Patients also spend a significant amount of time on treatments and care. Worsening severity of disease appears to be associated with a higher risk of impaired QoL, and pharmacologic and educational interventions that improve disease severity appear to, for the most part, simultaneously improve QoL.

Keywords: Atopic dermatitis; Atopy; Burden; Eczema; Itch; Outcome measures; Quality of life; Sleep.