ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Atopic Dermatitis (AD) affects individuals from all ethnicities and backgrounds. It has the highest global disease burden of dermatoses. There is a widely held belief that the presentation of AD is not described well in individuals with non-European ancestry in peer-reviewed literature. However, to our knowledge, this has not been investigated previously. OBJECTIVE: To quantify the number of peer-reviewed literature describing the appearance of clinical features of AD in non-European ancestry, particularly those originating from the Asian and African continents. METHODS: A systematic scoping review between December 2020 and January 2021 was performed to quantify the number of studies describing AD in individuals of African and Asian ancestry. RESULTS: Sixteen studies were identified. None of the studies provided a clear description of AD in our population groups. Two studies described features of lichen planus like-AD in African American individuals. All studies reported on observed clinical features of AD. CONCLUSIONS: The review confirmed a lack of literature describing AD in populations of non-European heritage. It should encourage authors to make a deliberate effort to describe the appearance of clinical features of AD to enable understanding of how they may differentiate in individuals originating from different parts of the globe.
ABSTRACT
The skin and brain have a close bi-directional anatomical and functional connection. Historically, the skin-brain axis and the brain-skin axis have been well described. However, brain function in this context has only recently been demystified with the introduction of functional neuroimaging in dermatology. Functional neuroimaging, especially functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), allows indirect visualisation of brain function. This review looks back to the beginnings of functional neuroimaging in dermatology, summarises the currently available dermatology-related fMRI studies and discusses the potential future role of fMRI as a stratifying tool in clinical dermatology and in the development of novel therapies. According to the main body of research made in this field, the focus is placed on experimental itch studies, which described the brain structures involved in itch processing, the regulation of the scratch response, contagious itch and itch suppression.
