Dupilumab provides consistent relief from itch, anxiety, and eczema severity while improving daily functioning.
According to the findings of a systematic review and meta-analysis, dupilumab remarkably improves quality of life, psychological well-being, and clinical symptoms in individuals suffering from moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. The study, which included 17 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) encompassing 6,665 volunteers, analyzed data from publications indexed in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Library.
The primary focus was on quality of life, assessed using 6 validated instruments: the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), the Quality of Life Index for Atopic Dermatitis (QoLIAD), the Children’s Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI), the Infant’s Dermatitis Quality of Life Index (IDQoL), the Dermatitis Family Impact (DFI), and the EuroQol-5 Dimension (EQ-5D). Notably, dupilumab led to prominent improvements in all these domains. Adults experienced marked improvements in DLQI and QoLIAD scores (standardized mean difference [SMD] = -0.64), while children and adolescents showed even greater benefits in CDLQI and IDQoL scores (SMD = -0.73).
Family impact was also markedly reduced (DFI SMD = -0.97), and general health status improved as reflected by EQ-5D scores (SMD = 0.64). All the outcomes were statistically significant with p-values below 0.00001. The analysis further highlighted dupilumab’s positive effects on sleep quality and psychological health, with noticeable reductions witnessed in the total scores of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), including both anxiety and depression subscales.
Clinical symptom improvement was consistently noted across several endpoints, including the Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM), pruritus Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI), SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD), percentage of body surface area involvement, Global Individual Sign Score (GISS), and Investigator’s Global Assessment (IGA) response.
In summary, this study reinforces dupilumab’s role as a cornerstone intervention for moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. By improving both physical and psychosocial dimensions of the ailment, dupilumab offers a comprehensive therapeutic benefit that extends beyond symptom control.
Frontiers in Pharmacology
Effects of dupilumab on quality of life in patients with atopic dermatitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Yunqing Sun et al.
Comments (0)