The Benefits of Early Intervention in AD: More Than Skin Deep

• Present new data on the systemic burden of underlying type 2 inflammation in AD within and beyond the skin across age groups
• Discuss the cumulative life impact of uncontrolled AD and the importance of early intervention and disease control across age groups
• Relate perspectives on management of moderate-to-severe AD and the potential for disease modification

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic, pruritic, inflammatory skin disease. Accordingly, many treatment goals focus on clinical manifestations so that if a patient is free of lesions, their disease is considered well controlled. However, the inflammatory process underlying AD reaches far beyond the skin, affecting patients in unique ways at different stages of their lives. Associated comorbidities including effects on bone health, growth, and sleep; mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression; and other associated atopic and allergic conditions listed in the AAD Guidelines are well-characterized effects of AD in pediatric patients. The disease burden for patients, caregivers, and families is significant and may have a variable trajectory throughout life, however. For instance, many atopic comorbidities and other disease-related factors may persist over the long term into adulthood and advanced age including bone mineral density deficiencies, mental health disorders, and repeated secondary infections, contributing to the cumulative life impact of the disease.

In this symposium, international expert speakers Lawrence F Eichenfield, Katrina Abuabara, and Eric Simpson discussed the biology of type 2 inflammation in the context of extra-cutaneous manifestations of AD at different ages, with focus on pediatric, adult, and older adult patients. The presenters investigated the inflammatory processes driven by type 2 cytokines that lead to a wide range of systemic and local effects that have profound consequences for quality of life, as well as discussed how these effects vary at specific life stages and often accumulate over time. The final portion of the symposium comprised of a panel discussion about the benefits of early intervention, potential definitions of disease modification, and whether disease modification is possible in AD.

This symposium addressed the following learning objectives: 1. New data on the systemic burden of underlying type 2 inflammation in AD within and beyond the skin across age groups. 2. The cumulative life impact of uncontrolled AD and the importance of early intervention and disease control across age groups. 3. Perspectives on management of moderate-to-severe AD and the potential for disease modification.