Abstract
INTRODUCTION: In China, real-world evidence on the burden and management of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) is needed. The ChinaSTAD study aimed to characterise the treatment and disease and health economic burden of patients with moderate-to-severe AD uncontrolled on topical therapy in China. METHODS: The ChinaSTAD national prospective registry study enrolled individuals aged ≥ 12 years with AD, with a SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) score of ≥ 25, at participating hospitals. At baseline (enrolment visit), clinical status (SCORAD, Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure [POEM], Peak Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale [PP-NRS], Atopic Dermatitis Control Tool [ADCT]), health-related quality of life (Dermatology Life Quality Index [DLQI] and Children's DLQI [CDLQI]), AD treatment, and healthcare resource use in the previous year, were evaluated. Costs were estimated from the patient's perspective. Baseline visit data are reported here for the subgroup of patients who had not received prior systemic AD therapy continuously up to the point of study enrolment. Data are expressed as mean ± standard deviation unless stated otherwise. RESULTS: Of 2962 patients enrolled at data cut-off (31 October 2022), 2550 were included in this analysis (aged 40.2 ± 21.0 years). The baseline SCORAD was 54.4 ± 15.7; 85.6% of patients had uncontrolled AD (ADCT score ≥ 7), and DLQI and CDLQI scores were 10.9 ± 7.1 and 9.9 ± 6.3, respectively. At enrolment, patients were being treated with antihistamines (62.1% of patients), topical corticosteroids (61.3%) and topical moisturising emollients (31.3%). In the year prior, 37.5% of patients had one to three outpatient visits (cost per visit 662.3 ± 1563.4 renminbi (RMB) and 12.9% had one to three hospital admissions (cost per hospitalisation 822.4 ± 3149.2 RMB). CONCLUSIONS: Patients in China aged ≥ 12 years with moderate-to-severe AD uncontrolled on topical therapy experience considerable disease burden. GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT05023668.