A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study on Clinical Characteristics and Disease Burden of 1010 Patients with Moderate to Severe Atopic Dermatitis in Chinese Tertiary Hospitals

Purpose: To investigate the clinical characteristics of patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD) visiting tertiary hospitals in China. Study Design: A multicenter cross-sectional survey was conducted on 1010 patients with moderate to severe AD. Their demographic characteristics, history of allergic diseases, inducing factors, treatment, disease assessment scales, and disease burden were analyzed. Place & Duration of the Study: The survey was conducted in 7 tertiary hospitals from October 2022 to October 2023, including Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Yancheng First People’s Hospital, Huai’an First People’s Hospital, Lianyungang First People’s Hospital, Lianyungang Second People’s Hospital, Suqian Hospital of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Group and Xuzhou First People’s Hospital. Results: Among the 1010 patients, the median age was 55.5 years, and 59.5% had severe AD. Female patients exhibited higher clinician-assessed SCORAD scores than male patients (P=0.016), although multivariate analysis identified age, personal allergic history, and smoking as independent risk factors for severity, with gender not retaining statistical significance. 50.7% had a personal history of allergic diseases, 26.9% had a family history, and allergic rhinitis was the most common. Season, skin moisturizing after bathing, smoking, and drinking were related to the disease. Treatment was mainly oral antihistamines and topical glucocorticoids. The SCORAD score was significantly positively correlated with the DLQI/CDLQI, POEM, NRS, and ADCT scores (P< 0.01). Spearman correlation analysis demonstrated significant positive correlations between SCORAD and DLQI/CDLQI, POEM, NRS, and ADCT scores. The medical expenses of severe patients were higher than those of moderate patients (P< 0.05). Conclusion: This study delineates the clinical profile and substantial burden of moderate-to-severe AD in Chinese tertiary hospitals, identifying older age, personal allergic history and smoking as independent risk factors for disease severity. These findings provide a basis for targeted management and informed clinical decision-making for this patient population. Keywords: atopic dermatitis, epidemiology, cross-sectional study, clinical characteristics, disease burden, influencing factors