Investigators have provided an update of recent advancements in the treatment of pediatric patients with atopic dermatitis, according to a review published by Caffarelli et al in Frontiers in Medicine. Investigators explained that standard therapy for this patient population involves daily emollients, allergen avoidance, topical calcineurin inhibitors, and oral corticosteroids for some patients. For proactive treatment of atopic dermatitis, topical corticosteroids, topical calcineurin inhibitors, and psychological therapy may be prescribed. The investigators emphasized that although anti-inflammatory drugs, including ruxolitinib, have proven beneficial for precision medicine approaches, many of these agents have yet to receive approval for clinical use and may be cost-prohibitive in pediatric patients. For severe atopic dermatitis, biologics like dupilumab for patients aged 6 months and older and tralokinumab and lebrikizumab for patients aged 13 years and older, as well as oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors such as upadacitinib and abrocitinib, have been approved for use. However, the investigators stressed that oral JAK inhibitors may be costly, and patients receiving them may have to be monitored due to the risk of treatment-related adverse events. When patients do not respond to biologics, the review authors recommended that immunosuppressive agents be considered.


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