Efficacy and safety of dupilumab in pediatric patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis: a real-world study

Dupilumab is the first human monoclonal antibody that treats atopic dermatitis (AD) by blocking interleukin 4 (IL-4) and interleukin 13 (IL-13), which can suppress the Th2 inflammatory reaction. Effective treatments for pediatric AD patients are limited; therefore, we aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of dupilumab in pediatric AD patients. Fifteen pediatric patients diagnosed with moderate to severe AD and treated with dupilumab were enrolled in this study. SPSS was used to analyze data and obtain the average values of Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI), SCORing AD (SCORAD), and Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI). GRAPHPAD was used to analyze and plot the statistics. The average EASI values were 19.23 +/- 3.03 and 1.69 +/- 0.54 at baseline and at following up for 6 months after standardized treatment protocol, respectively. The average SCORAD values were 43.27 +/- 4.63 and 6.13 +/- 1.41 at baseline and at following up for 6 months after standardized treatment protocol, respectively. The average CDLQI value at baseline was 13.53 +/- 2.88 and following up for 6 months after standardized treatment protocol was 1.60 +/- 0.63. The most frequent adverse event was conjunctivitis. No serious adverse events occurred during the treatment period. Dupilumab could reduce symptoms and improve pruritus in pediatric AD patients, and the frequent adverse events were reversible. It has a definite therapeutic effect on AD; nevertheless, further studies should be conducted to obtain information on its the long-term efficacy and safety.