Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 May-Jun;33(3):187-192.
doi: 10.1097/DER.0000000000000895.

The Eczema Area and Severity Index-A Practical Guide

Jon M Hanifin  1 , Wenelia Baghoomian  1 , Erin Grinich  1 , Yael A Leshem  2 , Michael Jacobson  1 , Eric Lawrence Simpson  1
Affiliations
Review

The Eczema Area and Severity Index-A Practical Guide

Jon M Hanifin et al. Dermatitis. 2022 May-Jun.

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that affects approximately 18 million people in the United States. Assessing the extent and severity of atopic dermatitis is critical for determining baseline disease burden and treatment effectiveness for both investigators and clinicians. Considerable efforts over the past several decades have been made in developing a highly validated instrument called the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI). Although several guides exist for the EASI, questions continue to arise regarding its use and interpretation. This review was developed to serve as the definitive guide for the EASI and to address commonly asked questions.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

E.L.S. reports personal fees from AbbVie, Amgen, Arena Pharmaceuticals, Aslan Pharma, Boston Consulting Group, Collective Acumen, LLC (CA), Dermira, Eli Lilly, Evidera, ExcerptaMedica, Forte Bio RX, Galderma, GlaxoSmithKline, Incyte, Janssen, Kyowa Kirin Pharmaceutical Development, Leo Pharm, Medscape LLC, Pfizer, Physicians World LLC, Regeneron, Sanofi-Genzyme, Trevi Therapeutics, and WebMD. He also reports grants (or principal investigator role) from AbbVie, Amgen, Arcutis, Aslan, Corevita, Dermira, Eli Lilly, Incyte, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, Leo Pharmaceuticals, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Regeneron, Sanofi, and TARGET-DERM. These potential conflicts of interest have been reviewed and managed by OHSU. The other authors have no funding or conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
EASI score assessment and calculation.,
Figure 2
Figure 2
Area of involvement.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Examples of erythema; both images show an erythema severity score of 2.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Edema/papulation; both images show an edema/papulation severity score of 2.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Excoriation, both images show an excoriation severity score of 3.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Lichenification; both images show a lichenification severity score of 3.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Tofte S Graeber M Cherill R, et al. . Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI): a new tool to evaluate atopic dermatitis. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 1998;11. - PubMed
    1. Hanifin JM Thurston M Omoto M, et al. . The Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI): assessment of reliability in atopic dermatitis. EASI Evaluator Group. Exp Dermatol 2001;10(1):11–18. doi:10.1034/j.1600-0625.2001.100102.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Schmitt J Spuls PI Thomas KS, et al. . The Harmonising Outcome Measures for Eczema (HOME) statement to assess clinical signs of atopic eczema in trials. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2014;134(4):800–807. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2014.07.043. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Schmitt J Langan S Deckert S, et al. . Assessment of clinical signs of atopic dermatitis: a systematic review and recommendation. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2013;132(6):1337–1347. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2013.07.008. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Rehal B, Armstrong AW. Health outcome measures in atopic dermatitis: a systematic review of trends in disease severity and quality-of-life instruments 1985–2010. PLoS One 2011;6(4):e17520. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0017520. - DOI - PMC - PubMed