TJ Chao, MPAS, PA-C

The Evolving Landscape for Atopic Dermatitis Treatment

Video content above is prompted by the following:

Since the approval of dupilumab, how has the availability of biologics for the treatment of moderate to severe disease in recent years reshaped the treatment paradigm for atopic dermatitis?

Videos

Panelists discuss how the approval of dupilumab and subsequent biologics for moderate to severe atopic dermatitis has fundamentally transformed the treatment landscape by providing targeted, effective options with favorable safety profiles that address underlying disease pathways, shifting from symptomatic management toward long-term disease control, raising expectations for treatment outcomes, reducing reliance on systemic immunosuppressants, enabling personalized therapy based on specific inflammatory pathways, and establishing new standards for efficacy that emphasize not just skin clearance but also rapid itch relief and quality-of-life improvement.

Moving Beyond Topical Treatments in Atopic Dermatitis Management

What advantages do systemic treatments have over topicals in moderate to severe atopic dermatitis?

Panelists discuss how systemic treatments for moderate to severe atopic dermatitis offer significant advantages over topicals, including more comprehensive disease control, improved adherence, reduced treatment burden, greater efficacy for widespread disease, ability to address immunological drivers of inflammation, prevention of flares, management of both cutaneous and extracutaneous manifestations, reduced corticosteroid exposure, and potential modification of disease trajectory—particularly benefiting patients with extensive involvement, recalcitrant disease, or whose quality of life has been highly affected.

Establishing Atopic Dermatitis Treatment Goals and Expectations With Patients

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?

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.

TJ Chao, MPAS, PA-C

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