Battling atopic dermatitis: its prevalence, how it affects the body, and treatment options

This is a review article focused on understanding the current research around atopic dermatitis, which will focus on reading and synthesizing ideas from primary scientific literature. The literature review will focus on the immunology behind this disorder and current therapies. The overall aim is to have a comprehensive summary of the topic and 2-3 figures illustrating the ideas. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common chronic allergic response in children and currently has no cure. Current treatment options for AD are effective, but temporary. Patients are in need of a cure that prevents recurrence of AD which will greatly improve the quality of life. Researchers are faced with the challenge of achieving these goals. This review will describe the current gold standard for AD treatment as well as explore some novel and traditional treatments which may be less effective. AD is common and its prevalence is dependent on an individual’s age, race, and overall health profile. AD is especially common in Hispanic, Black, and Asian populations as well as children in general. A person’s genetics and environmental factors play a role in one’s likelihood of developing AD. Research still needs to be done to determine a long term and effective treatment for AD. There are currently treatments, which are effective to a certain level, like topical corticosteroids, use of petrolatum and ceramide-based products, and emollients. Topical corticosteroids are a mainstay for treatment, and petrolatum and ceramide-based products are effective. However, emollients do not show consistent results in improvement to the patient's skin barrier. AD can disrupt a person’s quality of life, so the efforts to find even more suitable treatments are in demand. More research is necessary to find lasting cures to this disorder to prevent the common relapses experienced by patients.