Acne fulminans (AF) is a rare, acute, and severe form of acne vulgaris often associated with systemic symptoms. Its treatment is challenging and controversial. We report a case of isotretinoin-induced AF (IIAF) in a 12-year-old boy resistant to traditional therapies (oral steroids and isotretinoin). The patient was successfully treated with adalimumab that can be considered an effective off-label option in the treatment of resistant IIAF in children.
Background
The management of paediatric atopic dermatitis (AD) is challenging, mostly relying on emollients and topical corticosteroids. Dupilumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody, has been recently approved for the treatment of children aged 6–11 years with moderate-to-severe AD not adequately controlled with topical therapies or when those therapies are not advisable.
Objectives
The aim of this study was to evaluate in real life the effectiveness and safety of dupilumab in the treatment of children aged from 6 to 11 years.
Methods
Demographic and clinical data of children aged 6–11 years, affected by moderate-to-severe AD and treated with dupilumab, were retrospectively collected from 24 dermatological and paediatric referral centres. Dupilumab was administered subcutaneously at an induction dose of 300 mg on day (D) 1, followed by 300 mg on D15 and 300 mg every 4 weeks. Disease severity was assessed at baseline and after week 2 (W2), W4 and W16 of dupilumab therapy using Eczema Area Severity Index (EASI), Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale (P-NRS) and Sleep NRS (S-NRS) and Children’s Dermatology Life Quality Index (c-DLQI) score.
Results
A total of 55 AD children (24 males [43.64%], 31 females [56.36%]; mean age 9.35 ± 1.75 years) were included. A significant improvement in EASI score, P-NRS, S-NRS and c-DLQI was observed from baseline to W16 of treatment with dupilumab. In particular, at W16 the proportion of patients achieving EASI75 was 74.54%. Moreover, at the same timepoint a significant mean percentage reduction for P-NRS, S-NRS and c-DLQI was also observed (68.39%, 70.22% and 79.03%, respectively).
Conclusions
Our real-life data seem to confirm the effectiveness of dupilumab in paediatric patients on all disease aspects, including extent and severity of signs, intensity of symptoms, sleep and QoL, with a good safety profile.
Background: The most frequent inflammatory skin diseases are psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, and acne. Their management is challenging for dermatologists since their relapsing chronic clinical course is associated with a great impact on quality of life. Nevertheless, the recent introduction of novel therapies, such as biological drugs and small molecules has been changing the history of these diseases. Methods: A systematic review of the scientific literature of case reports, case series, epidemiological studies, reviews, and systematic reviews regarding teledermatology and inflammatory skin disease. Studies were identified, screened, and extracted for relevant data following the PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) guidelines. Results: A total of 69 cases articles were included in the review. Conclusions: As we have shown in the review, several experiences of teledermatology for patients affected by inflammatory skin diseases have been demonstrated to increase due to clinical access to hospital and specialized health care services, allowing better access to specialized dermatology care for people living in remote areas, and saving costs and money with health care.
Dupilumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin (IL) 4 and IL13 pathways. We performed a retrospective observational study to evaluate the efficacy of dupilumab for the treatment of adult patients referred to our department, from January 2019 to May 2021, with a diagnosis of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD) and concomitant chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), with a clinical indication for dupilumab treatment. Skin disease activity was assessed using EASI, Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) for pruritus (P-NRS) and sleep (S-NRS), and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). The CRSwNP activity was evaluated using 22-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22), endoscopic nasal polyp score (ENPS), nasal congestion or obstruction score (scale 0-3), loss-of-smell score (scale 0-3), and rhinosinusitis disease severity (visual analog scale 0-10 cm). A significant improvement of all the score values was recorded assessing patients at baseline, week (W)16, and W24. In particular, concerning the CRSwNP, a reduction of ENPS score (baseline:
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