A nationwide 104 weeks real-world study of dupilumab in adults with atopic dermatitis: Ineffectiveness in head-and-neck dermatitis.

BACKGROUND: Evaluation of effectiveness and safety of new systemic treatments for atopic dermatitis (AD) after approval is important. There are few published data exceeding 52-week therapy with dupilumab. OBJECTIVES: To examine the safety, effectiveness and drug survival of dupilumab in a Danish nationwide cohort with moderate-to-severe AD up to 104 weeks exposure. METHODS: We included 347 adult patients with AD who were treated with dupilumab and registered in the SCRATCH registry during 2017-2022. RESULTS: At all visits, we observed improvement in AD severity measured by Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) [median (IQR)]. EASI score at baseline was 18.0 (10.6-25.2), at week 4: 6.5 (3.5-11.6), at week 16: 3.7 (1.2-6.2), at week 52: 2.0 (0.8-3.6), at week 104: 1.7 (0.8-3.8). While drug survival was high (week 52: 90%; week 104: 86%), AD in the head-and-neck area remained present in most patients at high levels; proportion with head-and-neck AD at baseline was 76% and 68% at week 104. 35% of patients reported any AE. Conjunctivitis was the most frequent (25% of all patients) and median time to first registration of conjunctivitis was 201 days. CONCLUSIONS: While 2-year drug survival was 86%, dupilumab was unable to effectively treat AD in the head-and-neck area, and conjunctivitis was found in 25% of patients.

Patch Testing With Nickel Sulfate 5.0% Traces Significantly More Contact Allergy Than 2.5%: A Prospective Study Within the International Contact Dermatitis Research Group.

BACKGROUND: Nickel allergy is the most common contact allergy, and a nickel salt is, therefore, included in most baseline patch test series. In the baseline series of the International Contact Dermatitis Research Group and the American Contact Dermatitis Society, nickel sulfate hexahydrate (NSH) in petrolatum at 2.5% is included, whereas NSH at 5.0% is included in many other baseline series, such as the European and Swedish ones. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to investigate whether NSH at 5.0% detects significantly more contact allergy than NSH 2.5% when both preparations are tested simultaneously in consecutive dermatitis patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two thousand two hundred eighty-seven consecutive dermatitis patients were patch tested simultaneously with NSH in petrolatum at 2.5% and 5.0%. The allergy rates were compared for all clinics individually and combined using McNemar test, 2-sided. RESULTS: Contact allergy to NSH 5.0% and 2.5% was found in 20.3% and 16.8%, respectively ( P < 0.0001). In 6 of 11 clinics, significantly more patients tested positive to the higher NSH concentration. For the 2 clinics in North America combined, significantly more patients tested positive to NSH 5.0%. CONCLUSIONS: The NSH preparation in the International Contact Dermatitis Research Group baseline patch test series should be considered to be changed from NSH 2.5% (1 mg NSH/cm 2 ) to 5.0% (2 mg NSH/cm 2 ).

Prevalence of contact allergy to corticosteroids in a Danish patient population.

BACKGROUND: Allergic contact dermatitis to corticosteroids can be a challenging diagnosis as corticosteroids are used in the treatment of dermatitis. The prevalence of contact allergy to corticosteroid varies between previous studies. OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence of sensitization to budesonide, tixocortol-21-pivalate and hydrocortisone-17-butyrate in a Danish patient population from 2006-2020, cross-sensitization, risk factors and clinical relevance. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patch test data and MOAHLFA index was performed among 6823 patients consecutively patch tested with TRUE test as part of the baseline series. RESULTS: A positive patch test for corticosteroids was found in 185 patients (1.2% budesonide, 1.6% tixocortol-21-pivalate, 1.0% hydrocortisone-17-butyrate) without gender difference. For women, the prevalence of tixocortol-21-pivalate sensitization increased significantly from 1.3% in 2006-2008 to 2.9% in 2018-2020. Tixocortol-21-pivalate sensitization had more frequently clinical relevance in women (61.3%) compared to men (34.5%). Age above 40 years was positively associated to corticosteroid sensitization. Budesonide and hydrocortisone-17-butyrate accounted for 67.7% of co-sensitizations. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of corticosteroid sensitization was 2.7%. Age was the only risk factor for corticosteroid sensitization. The frequency of corticosteroid sensitization was stabile over time except for tixocortol-21-pivalate sensitization for women. About one third of sensitized patients had co-sensitizations to other corticosteroid groups.

[Hereditary palmoplantar keratoderma - a focus on clinical and molecular genetic aspects]. / Arvelig palmoplantar keratodermi.

Hereditary palmoplantar keratoderma comprises a heterogenous group of genodermatoses. The clinical spectrum of palmoplantar keratoderma can range from pure skin thickening, restricted to palmoplantar skin to complex conditions with dental anomalies, eye symptoms, deafness, cardiac disease and cancer. The classification of hereditary palmoplantar keratoderma has been complicated. In recent years the molecular genetic background has been clarified for an increasing number of palmoplantar keratodermas, which makes it possible to make a more accurate diagnosis.

[Hereditary angioedema--diagnostic problems]. / Hereditaert angioødem--en udfordrende diagnose.

Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare, but potentially life-threatening condition, clinically characterized by recurrent and self-limiting episodes of swelling which affect the skin, gastrointestinal tract and upper airways, and are caused by a lack of complement-C1-inhibitor (C1-INH). Within the past ten years, two Danish HAE patients have died from laryngeal oedema. We report two cases that illustrate symptoms and differential diagnostic problems posed by this disease, and the importance of an effective treatment strategy.