Background: Though Janus kinase inhibitors such as upadacitinib rapidly relieve itch in atopic dermatitis (AD) patients, how early itch relief impacts later skin clearance is not examined.
Objectives: This study aims to determine if early itch relief by upadacitinib could predict complete skin clearance in later phases.
Methods: This retrospective study involved 105 patients with moderate-to-severe AD treated with upadacitinib 15 mg/day. Eczema area and severity index (EASI), atopic dermatitis control tool, and achievement rate of EASI 100 were evaluated at weeks 4, 12, and 24. The threshold of early peak pruritus-numerical rating scale (PP-NRS) predicting later skin clearance was assessed by area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve, and predictors for EASI 100 achievement were determined by logistic regression analysis.
Results: The rate of achieving EASI 100 at week 24 was extremely higher in patients who achieved week 2 PP-NRS ≤ 1 (42.9%) than in non-achievers (1.4%). The logistic regression analysis showed that the achievement of week 2 PP-NRS ≤ 1 and low body mass index were associated with achievement of EASI 100 at weeks 12 and 24.
Conclusions: The achievement of week 2 PP-NRS ≤ 1 may predict later skin clearance in upadacitinib treatment.
Keywords: Atopic dermatitis; Janus kinase inhibitor; itch; skin clearance; upadacitinib.