Atopic March and Comorbidities in Patients with Atopic Dermatitis in Colombia

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the atopic march of atopic dermatitis (AD) in both children and adults and identify the risk factors associated with persistent clinical symptoms and associated atopic comorbidities.

METHODS: This retrospective observational study of patients with a confirmed diagnosis of AD from a dermatology reference center in Bogotá during 2011 to 2022. Patients were followed from the first visit in the dermatological center (index date), up to the last visit received at the center. Data on patient characteristics, treatment, comorbidities, and relapses were analyzed. Cumulative survival curves were generated to determine the time to first relapse using the Kaplan‒Meier method.

RESULTS: A total of 208 patients had a mean age of 25 years, 64% were female, with a mean time of 17 years since diagnosis, 119 (57.2%) patients were classified as mild AD, 40 (19.2%) as moderate and 49 (23.5%) as severe. Main atopic comorbidities were allergic rhinitis (55.3%) and asthma (22.1%). One hundred twenty patients presented lesions in the facial area (57.7%), followed by folds in the extremities (111 cases). Most patients (93.2%) used topical corticosteroids and 63% had used topical calcineurin inhibitors. A total of 75.9% of the patients relapsed during the study period, the mean time to first relapse after index date for patients was 1.57 (95% CI 1.30-2.25) years.

CONCLUSIONS: Results showed the heterogeneous nature of the disease and high variability of treatment trajectories of patients with AD within clinical practice.