Among biological agents for the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD), dupilumab is a front-runner. Although many studies have been conducted on the real-world use of dupilumab, the sample size is often small and data is primarily on Western people. Therefore, we investigated the efficacy and safety of dupilumab in patients with moderate-to-severe AD in Korea. All patients with moderate-to-severe AD treated with dupilumab from September 2018 to June 2019 in this institution were included and analyzed by medical records. They were evaluated using the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI), Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), Patient Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM), and Dermatology Quality of Life Index (DLQI), respectively on admission, after two weeks (only EASI and NRS) and after 16 weeks. Laboratory tests were measured before and 16 weeks after treatment. A total of 101 patients were included. All efficacy tools showed a significant decrease after 16 weeks; EASI 77.4%, NRS 70.0%, POEM 60.7%, and DLQI 65.0%. EASI was characterized by a marked improvement of 51.5% in just two weeks. The treatment response was not significantly different according to the interval of treatment. Elevated Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) at 16 weeks was associated with poor treatment response. Moreover, a high eosinophil count was related to a lower change in EASI and POEM. In the correlation analysis, EASI was not correlated to DLQI before treatment. For changes after 16 weeks, POEM showed the highest correlation with DLQI. (R = 0.66, p < 0.001) In the additional analysis for factors affecting treatment response, the female gender was associated with good treatment response. (odds ratio = 5.4, p = 0.04) Adverse events from treatment included facial erythema (9.9%) and conjunctivitis (5.0%). Overall, it was confirmed that the efficacy of dupilumab in the real-world is similar to that of the existing clinical trials. We suggest that POEM is a useful tool for identifying the quality of life. The female gender was associated with a good treatment response. Both an elevated LDH and a high eosinophil count could be a therapeutic biomarker. Further research will be needed for a long-term period.

Background During coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic, various adverse skin reactions to long‐term mask wearing have been reported. Objective We aimed to assess the clinical features of mask‐induced dermatoses and recommend prevention and treatment options. Methods From April to August 2020, questionnaires including preexisting skin disorders, patients’ reported mask‐related symptoms, their daily mask wearing duration and frequency, types of masks used, whether they are health care workers, and demographic information were distributed to patients of 12 hospitals. Dermatologists assessed skin lesions, confirmed diagnosis, and recorded treatment modalities. Results Itchiness was the most frequent symptom, mostly affecting the cheeks. Most common skin disease was new‐onset contact dermatitis (33.94%), followed by new‐onset acne (16.97%) and aggravation of preexisting acne (16.97%). Daily wearing ( p =0.018) was significantly associated with new‐onset contact dermatitis. More than half of the patients with preexisting skin problems experienced aggravation while wearing masks. Longer duration (more than 6 hours/day, p =0.043) and cotton masks ( p <0.001) significantly increased acne flare‐up. Healthcare workers had a higher incidence of skin disease. Skin lesions were generally mild and well tolerated with topical agents. Limitations Effect of seasonal characteristics and other risk factors were not assessed. The patients were visiting dermatologic clinics and had interest in their skin status. Thus, a selection bias may exist. Conclusion Mask‐induced/triggered dermatoses contribute to increase the dermatological burden during pandemic.

Administration of PG201 has therapeutic effects on CIA. Protection of cartilage was particularly prominent. PG201 is a potential therapy for rheumatoid arthritis.

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Background It is well known that atopic dermatitis (AD) is associated with other allergic diseases. Recentely, links to diseases other than allergic disease have also been actively studied. Among them, the results of studies regarding AD comorbidities, especially cardiovascular disease (CVD), have varied from country to country. Objective To analyze whether the risk of CVD is different between AD patients and healthy controls using Korean National Health Insurance Data. Methods We obtained data from 2005 to 2016 from the Korean National Health Insurance Research Database. Patients with one AD code and two AD-related tests codes were selected as AD patients, and age-and sex-matched controls to the AD patients were selected from among those without AD (1:5). Each group was investigated for accompanying metabolic syndrome (which contains hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and hyperlipidemia) and CVD (angina, myocardial infarction, peripheral vascular disease, and stroke) using ICD 10 codes. Results The incidence of metabolic diseases and CVD were significantly different between the AD and control groups. Using multivariable Cox regression, differences were adjusted for sex, age, and other CVD and metabolic diseases. As a result, not only metabolic disease, but also the CVD risk of AD patients was significantly higher than that of the control group. Patients with AD had as significantly higher risk of hyperlipidemia (hazard ratio [HR] = 33.02, p < 0.001), hypertension (HR = 4.86, p < 0.001), and type 2 diabetes (HR = 2.96, p < 0.001). AD patients also had a higher risk of stroke (HR = 10.61, p < 0.001), myocardial infarction (HR = 9.43, p < 0.001), angina (HR = 5.99, p < 0.001), and peripheral vascular disease (HR = 2.46, p < 0.001). Besides hyperlipidemia, there was no difference in risk according to AD severity. Conclusion Patients with AD have a greater risk of CVD than those without AD.