Prescribing practices for systemic agents in the treatment of severe pediatric atopic dermatitis in the US and Canada: The PeDRA TREAT survey

Christine R. Totri, Lawrence F. Eichenfield, Kirsty Logan, Laura Proudfoot, Jochen Schmitt, Irene Lara-Corrales, Jeffrey Sugarman, Wynnis Tom, Elaine Siegfried, Kelly Cordoro, Amy S. Paller, Carsten Flohr

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Abstract

Background There is a paucity of literature to direct physicians in the prescribing of immunomodulators for patients with severe atopic dermatitis (AD). Objective To survey systemic agent prescribing practices for severe childhood AD among clinicians in the United States and Canada. Methods The TREatment of severe Atopic dermatitis in children Taskforce (TREAT), US&CANADA, a project of the Pediatric Dermatology Research Alliance (PeDRA), developed an online multiple-response survey to assess clinical practice, gather demographic information and details of systemic agent selection, and identify barriers to their use in patients with recalcitrant pediatric AD. Results In total, 133 of 290 members (45.9%) of the Society for Pediatric Dermatology completed the survey, and 115 of 133 (86.5%) used systemic treatment for severe pediatric AD. First-line drugs of choice were cyclosporine (45.2%), methotrexate (29.6%), and mycophenolate mofetil (13.0%). The most commonly used second-line agents were methotrexate (31.3%) and mycophenolate mofetil (30.4%); azathioprine was the most commonly cited third-line agent. The main factors that discouraged use of systemic agents were side-effect profiles (82.6%) and perceived risks of long-term toxicity (81.7%). Limitations Investigation of the sequence of systemic medications or combination systemic therapy was limited. Recall bias may have affected the results. Conclusion Great variation exists in prescribing practices among American and Canadian physicians using systemic agents for treatment of pediatric AD.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)281-285
JournalJournal of the American Academy of Dermatology
Volume76
Issue number2
Early online date14 Nov 2016
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2017

Keywords

  • atopic dermatitis
  • azathioprine
  • cyclosporine
  • methotrexate
  • mycophenolate mofetil
  • oral antimicrobials
  • oral steroids

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