Care for children with atopic dermatitis in the Netherlands during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Lessons from the first wave and implications for the future

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common chronic relapsing skin disease, which is characterized as a pruritic dermatitis that typically develops during infancy. 1 Management of AD can be complex, 2,3 time-consuming, 4 and can have a significant impact on children with AD and their families. 5,6 Children with moderate to severe AD frequently visit outpatient clinics. During these consultations,

Allergic diseases and immunodeficiencies in children, lessons learnt from COVID‐19 pandemic by 2022: A statement from the EAACI‐section on pediatrics

“…Routine health‐care services disruption resulted in an increased use of telemedicine 89 , 90 for the management of all allergic conditions, particularly respiratory allergies, 39 eczemas, 91 urticaria and food allergy 92 , 93 , 94 as well as home introduction food services. 95 Wearable sensors were used in some countries to continuously track personal location and physical activity and assess compliance with the lockdown measures in children with asthma.…”

Navigating patients with atopic dermatitis or chronic spontaneous urticaria during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…It typically develops during infancy or childhood and is characterized by intense pruritus and a chronic or chronically relapsing dermatosis. Management of AD may be quite challenging and requires adequate continuity of care, especially in the older age group ( 4 , 5 ).…”

“…This is attributed to the fact that atopic dermatitis is often associated with other atopic disorders such as asthma and allergic rhino-conjunctivitis ( 1 ). Studies did not demonstrate atopic dermatitis as a key independent risk factor to developing severe SARS-CoV-2 infection ( 5 – 7 ). However, more recent studies established that AD is associated with an increased odds of COVID-19 infection even after controlling for common comorbidities ( 8 , 9 ).…”

“…Given the fact that AD is an immune-mediated disease, an associated surge in flares of atopic dermatitis has been observed during the pandemic ( 11 ). It is imperative then to assume that strict hygiene practices and increased stress levels imposed by the pandemic will likely contribute to this noted increase in AD flares ( 2 , 5 , 12 ). In addition, the pandemic with the need to quarantine has negatively impacted the quality of life of AD patients with reported increased levels of anxiety and depression in this specific subset ( 7 , 12 , 13 ).…”

“…However, it also gave health care professionals a window of opportunity in the field of teledermatology (web- and phone- counseling) which has significantly surged during the pandemic ( 14 , 15 ). This platform has been and will likely be an extremely useful mean of reducing patient access to hospital ( 2 , 5 ). From a patient's perspective, teledermatology has been well-accepted by AD patients who continued to have access to a dermatologist consultation, guaranteeing support and treatment continuation in most cases ( 1 , 5 , 16 ).…”