A global survey, presented at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) congress, has revealed the impact of atopic dermatitis (AD) on children and teenagers.

The survey, which was sponsored by Sanof Genzyme and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, included 3,986 participants based in 13 countries across for continents.

The survey population was made ip of 1,447 children (aged six to 11) and adolescents (aged 12-17) with moderate-to-severe AD, as well as 1,447 paired parents/caregivers and 1,092 physicians.

It was designed to assess the full impact of AD on children and teenagers with moderate-to-severe AD from the perspective of each group, comparing their responses to identify gaps in perceptions.

The fndings showed that the impact of AD on sleep and psychosocial efects – including feeling ashamed, irritated or sad/ anxious due to AD – were ranked as the most burdensome quality of life (QoL) impacts.

The survey also discovered that perceptions within the two age groups (children and teenagers) and their caregivers were ‘generally aligned’, although these did sometimes difer from the perceptions of physicians.

It also found that although physicians acknowledged the impact of moderate-to-severe AD, most do not discuss QoL factors with patients or their caregivers.