Douglas DiRuggiero, DMSc, MHS, PA-C

Establishing Atopic Dermatitis Treatment Goals and Expectations With Patients

Video content above is prompted by the following:

How do you discuss treatment goals for moderate to severe atopic dermatitis with your patients and their families?

How do you decide when it is time to initiate systemic therapy for patients with atopic dermatitis?

Videos

Panelists discuss how establishing realistic treatment goals for patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis requires collaborative conversations addressing itch reduction, sleep improvement, and quality-of-life enhancement, whereas decisions to initiate systemic therapy are driven by inadequate response to optimized topical regimens, disease impact on daily functioning, recurrent flares, significant psychological burden, treatment adherence challenges, and the recognition that early intervention may prevent disease progression and comorbidities.

Assessing Atopic Dermatitis Severity in Clinical Practice

Today we will be focusing on the treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis. How is atopic dermatitis severity typically determined in clinical practice?

Describe the clinical presentation of a patient with AD.

Panelists discuss how atopic dermatitis severity assessment involves evaluating disease extent, lesion intensity, location, symptom burden, and quality-of-life impact—with mild cases showing limited, occasionally pruritic patches; moderate cases featuring more widespread, persistent symptoms affecting daily activities; and severe cases presenting with extensive, intensely pruritic lesions causing significant sleep disturbance and emotional distress.

Douglas DiRuggiero, DMSc, MHS, PA-C

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