Characterizing Patients and Treatment Patterns in Moderate-to-severe Atopic Dermatitis in Finland: A Population-based Study Using National Health Data

Acta Derm Venereol. 2025 Apr 24:105:adv41244. doi: 10.2340/actadv.v105.41244.

Abstract

This observational study evaluated demographics, disease characteristics, and treatment patterns in children, adolescents, and adults with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) and compared comorbidities (adults only) and healthcare resource use with those of matched reference subjects without moderate-to-severe AD in Finland between 2016 and 2020. A total of 68,216 patients with moderate-to-severe AD and a reference population of 338,325 people without moderate-to-severe AD were identified and included in the study. Among children aged 0-11 years in the moderate-to-severe AD cohort, most were diagnosed with AD and were identified to have moderate-to-severe AD before they reached 4 years of age (92.4% and 79.3%, respectively). Atopic disorders and psychiatric, gastrointestinal, and other diseases were more common in adults with moderate-to-severe AD than in the reference population. Regardless of age, patients with moderate-to-severe AD had a higher number of primary and secondary healthcare visits annually compared with the reference population. Across all 3 age groups, topical corticosteroids and emollients were the 2 categories of AD medications most frequently used throughout the study period. In adults, the use of methotrexate and dupilumab increased over the course of the study. Moderate-to-severe AD affects people of all ages in Finland.

Publication types

  • Observational Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adrenal Cortex Hormones / therapeutic use
  • Adult
  • Age Factors
  • Aged
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Comorbidity
  • Databases, Factual
  • Dermatitis, Atopic* / diagnosis
  • Dermatitis, Atopic* / drug therapy
  • Dermatitis, Atopic* / epidemiology
  • Dermatologic Agents* / administration & dosage
  • Dermatologic Agents* / therapeutic use
  • Emollients / therapeutic use
  • Female
  • Finland / epidemiology
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Practice Patterns, Physicians'* / trends
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Dermatologic Agents
  • Adrenal Cortex Hormones
  • Emollients