Measuring atopic eczema symptoms in clinical practice: The first consensus statement from the Harmonising Outcome Measures for Eczema in clinical practice initiative

Background: Measuring patient-centered outcomes in clinical practice is valuable for monitoring patients and advancing real-world research. A new initiative from the Harmonising Outcome Measures for Eczema (HOME) group aims to recommend what might be recorded for atopic eczema patients in routine clinical care. Objectives: Prioritize outcome domains to measure atopic eczema in clinical practice and select valid and practical outcome measurement instruments for the highest-priority domain. Methods: An online survey of HOME members identified and ranked 21 possible health domains. Suitable instruments were then selected for the top-prioritized domain at the HOME VI meeting, using established consensus processes informed by systematic reviews of instrument quality. Results: Patient-reported symptoms was the top-prioritized domain. In accordance with psychometric properties and feasibility, there was consensus that the recommended instruments to measure atopic eczema symptoms in clinical practice are the POEM, the PO-SCORAD index, or both. The numeric rating scale for itch received support pending definition and validation in atopic eczema. Conclusion: Following the first step of the HOME Clinical Practice initiative, we endorse using the POEM, the PO-SCORAD index, or both for measuring atopic eczema symptoms in clinical practice. Additional high-priority domains for clinical practice will be assessed at subsequent HOME meetings

Comparison of real-world treatment outcomes of systemic immunomodulating therapy in atopic dermatitis patients with dark and light skin types

Background Few data exist on differences in treatment effectiveness and safety in atopic dermatitis patients of different skin types. Objective To investigate treatment outcomes of dupilumab, methotrexate, and ciclosporin, and morphological phenotypes in atopic dermatitis patients, stratified by Fitzpatrick skin type. Methods In an observational prospective cohort study, pooling data from the Dutch TREAT (TREatment of ATopic eczema) NL (treatregister.nl) and UK-Irish A-STAR (Atopic eczema Systemic TherApy Register; astar-register.org) registries, data on morphological phenotypes and treatment outcomes were investigated. Results A total of 235 patients were included (light skin types [LST]: Fitzpatrick skin type 1-3, n = 156 [Ethnicity, White: 94.2%]; dark skin types [DST]: skin type 4-6, n = 68 [Black African/Afro-Caribbean: 25%, South-Asian: 26.5%, and Hispanics: 0%]). DST were younger (19.5 vs 29.0 years; P .05). Limitations Unblinded, non-randomized. Conclusion Atopic dermatitis differs in several characteristics between LST and DST. Skin type may influence treatment effectiveness of dupilumab

Long-term effectiveness and safety of treatment with dupilumab in patients with atopic dermatitis: Results of the TREAT NL (TREatment of ATopic eczema, the Netherlands) registry

Background: Evidence on long-term dupilumab treatment for atopic dermatitis in daily practice is lacking. Objective: To investigate patient characteristics, treatment aspects, effectiveness, and safety of up to 84 weeks of dupilumab treatment. Methods: An observational prospective cohort study was conducted of patients with atopic dermatitis starting dupilumab in routine clinical care. Results: Of the 221 included patients, 103 used systemic therapy at baseline. At 84 weeks, we found a change of −15.2 (SE, 1.7) for the Eczema Area and Severity Index, −16.9 (SE, 1.4) for the Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure, and −17.2 (SE, 1.6) for the Dermatology Life Quality Index. We found a trend for improvement over time for the Investigator Global Assessment and Numerical Rating Scale for pruritus. Severe (n = 79) including serious (n = 11) adverse events were observed in 69 patients. Eye complaints were most frequently reported (n = 46). Twenty-one patients adjusted the regular dosing schedule, and 14 patients discontinued treatment, mainly due to ineffectiveness (n = 7). Limitations: Only adverse events of severe and serious nature were registered for feasibility reasons. Conclusion: Daily practice dupilumab treatment of up to 84 weeks is generally well-tolerated, apart from the reporting of eye complaints. It can be considered a long-term effective treatment for atopic dermatitis in combination with topical and initial concomitant systemic treatment, showing a sustained improvement of signs, symptoms, and quality of life

The HOME Core outcome set for clinical trials of atopic dermatitis

Core outcome sets are critically important outcomes that should be measured in clinical trials. Their absence in atopic dermatitis is a form of research waste and impedes combining evidence to inform patient care. Here, we articulate the rationale for core outcome sets in atopic dermatitis and review the work of the international Harmonising Outcome Measures for Eczema group from its inception in Munich, 2010. We describe core domain determination (what should be measured), to instrument selection (how domains should be measured), culminating in the complete core outcome measurement set in Tokyo, 2019. Using a “road map,” Harmonising Outcome Measures for Eczema includes diverse research methods including Delphi and nominal group techniques informed by systematic reviews of properties of candidate instruments. The 4 domains and recommended instruments for including in all clinical trials of atopic dermatitis are patient symptoms, measured by Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure and peak Numerical Rating Scale 11 for itch intensity over 24 hours, clinical signs measured using the Eczema Area and Severity Index, quality of life measured by the Dermatology Life Quality Index series for adults, children, and infants, and long-term control measured by either Recap of atopic eczema or Atopic Dermatitis Control Tool

The clinical relevance of dupilumab serum concentration in patients with atopic dermatitis: a two-center prospective cohort study

Dupilumab is prescribed in one dosage across adult atopic dermatitis patients. Differences in drug exposure may explain variation in treatment response. Investigating the clinical relevance of dupilumab serum concentration in atopic dermatitis in real-world practice. In two centres (Netherlands, UK), adults treated with dupilumab for atopic dermatitis were evaluated for effectiveness and safety pre-treatment and at 2, 12, 24 and 48 weeks; trough serum samples were analysed for dupilumab concentration at corresponding time points. In 149 patients, median dupilumab levels during follow-up ranged from 57.4-72.4μg/mL. Levels showed high inter-patient and low intra-patient variability. No correlation was found between levels and ΔEASI. At 2 weeks, levels of ≥64.1μg/mL predict EASI ≤ 7 at 24 weeks (specificity:100%, sensitivity:60%;p = 0.022). At 12 weeks, ≤32.7μg/mL predicts EASI > 7 at 24 weeks (sensitivity:95%, specificity:26%;p = 0.011). Inverse correlations were found between baseline EASI and levels at 2, 12 and 24 weeks (r=-0.25-0.36;p ≤ 0.023). Low levels were particularly observed in patients with adverse events, treatment interval deviation and discontinuation. At the on-label dosage, the measured range of dupilumab levels does not seem to yield differences in treatment effectiveness. However, disease activity does seem to influence dupilumab levels - higher baseline disease activity results in lower levels at follow-up.</p

A core domain set for pyoderma gangrenosum trial outcomes - an international e-Delphi and consensus study from the UPGRADE initiative

ImportancePyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare ulcerative skin condition with no current standardized outcomes or outcome measures. With a rich investigational therapeutic pipeline, standardization of outcomes and improvement of data quality and interpretability will promote the appropriate and consistent evaluation of potential new therapies. Core Outcome Sets (COS) are agreed standardized sets of outcomes that represent the minimum that should be measured and reported in all clinical trials of a specific condition.ObjectiveTo identify and reach consensus on which domains (what to be measured) should be included in the Understanding Pyoderma Gangrenosum: Review and Analysis of Disease Effects (UPGRADE) Core Domain Set for PG clinical trials.DesignCollaborative discussions between patients and PG experts, and a systematic review of the literature identified items and prospective domains. A three-round international eDelphi exercise was performed to prioritize the domains and refine the provisional items (consensus: ≥70% of participants rating a domain as ‘extremely important’ and <15% of participants voting ‘not important’, followed by an international meeting to reach consensus on the core domain set (consensus: <30% disagreement).SettingItem generation discussions and consensus meetings were hosted via online video conferences. Delphi exercise and consensus voting were performed using Qualtrics electronic survey software.ParticipantsAdults with PG, healthcare professionals, researchers, and industry representatives.FindingsCollaborative discussions and systematic review yielded 115 items, which were distilled into 15 prospective domains. The eDelphi exercise removed three lowest priority domains (Laboratory Tests, Treatment Costs, and Disease Impact on Family) and ranked Pain, Quality of Life, and Physical Symptoms as the highest priority prospective domains. Consensus was reached on the domains of Pain, Quality of Life, and Clinical Signs.The domain of disease course/disease progression narrowly failed to reach consensus for inclusion in the core set (32.2% of participants voted no). Refinement of this domain definition will be required and presented for consideration at future consensus meetings.Conclusions and RelevanceThe UPGRADE Core Domain Set for PG clinical trials has been agreed by international multi-stakeholder consensus. Future work will develop and/or select outcome measurement instruments for these domains to establish a core outcome set

Mapping exercise and status update of eight established registries within the TREatment of ATopic eczema Registry Taskforce

Background: The TREatment of ATopic eczema (TREAT) Registry Taskforce is a collaborative international network of registries collecting data of atopic eczema (AE) patients receiving systemic and phototherapy with the common goal to provide long-term real-world data on the effectiveness, safety and cost-effectiveness of therapies. A core dataset, consisting of domains and domain items with corresponding measurement instruments, has been developed to harmonize data collection. Objectives: We aimed to give an overview of the status and characteristics of the eight established TREAT registries, and to perform a mapping exercise to examine the degree of overlap and pooling ability between the national registry datasets. This will allow us to determine which research questions can be answered in the future by pooling data. Methods: All eight registries were asked to share their dataset and information on the current status and characteristics. The overlap between the core dataset and each registry dataset was identified (according to the domains, domain items and measurement instruments of the TREAT core dataset). Results and conclusions: A total of 4702 participants have been recruited in the eight registries as of 1st of May 2022. Of the 69 core dataset domain items, data pooling was possible for 69 domain item outcomes in TREAT NL (the Netherlands), 61 items in A-STAR (UK and Ireland), 38 items in TREATgermany (Germany), 36 items in FIRST (France), 33 items in AtopyReg (Italy), 29 items in Biobadatop (Spain), 28 items in SCRATCH (Denmark) and 20 items in SwedAD (Sweden). Pooled analyses across all registries can be performed on multiple important domain items, covering the main aims of analysing data on the (cost-)effectiveness and safety of AE therapies. These results will facilitate future comparative or joint analyses

Mapping exercise and status update of eight established registries within the TREatment of ATopic eczema Registry Taskforce

Background: The TREatment of ATopic eczema (TREAT) Registry Taskforce is a collaborative international network of registries collecting data of atopic eczema (AE) patients receiving systemic and phototherapy with the common goal to provide long-term real-world data on the effectiveness, safety and cost-effectiveness of therapies. A core dataset, consisting of domains and domain items with corresponding measurement instruments, has been developed to harmonize data collection. Objectives: We aimed to give an overview of the status and characteristics of the eight established TREAT registries, and to perform a mapping exercise to examine the degree of overlap and pooling ability between the national registry datasets. This will allow us to determine which research questions can be answered in the future by pooling data. Methods: All eight registries were asked to share their dataset and information on the current status and characteristics. The overlap between the core dataset and each registry dataset was identified (according to the domains, domain items and measurement instruments of the TREAT core dataset). Results and conclusions: A total of 4702 participants have been recruited in the eight registries as of 1st of May 2022. Of the 69 core dataset domain items, data pooling was possible for 69 domain item outcomes in TREAT NL (the Netherlands), 61 items in A-STAR (UK and Ireland), 38 items in TREATgermany (Germany), 36 items in FIRST (France), 33 items in AtopyReg (Italy), 29 items in Biobadatop (Spain), 28 items in SCRATCH (Denmark) and 20 items in SwedAD (Sweden). Pooled analyses across all registries can be performed on multiple important domain items, covering the main aims of analysing data on the (cost-)effectiveness and safety of AE therapies. These results will facilitate future comparative or joint analyses