A NOVEL EFFICIENT APPROACH TO ASSESSING ATOPIC DERMATITIS DISEASE SEVERITY: VIGAXBSA COMPARED TO EASI

Abstract

<h3>Introduction</h3> Disease severity assessment is essential in determining the course of care and treatment for Atopic Dermatitis (AD). The Eczema Area Severity Index (EASI) is an extensive evaluation assessing the body for various eczematous symptoms: lichenification, erythema, edema/papulation, and excoriation. While a standard evaluation in the clinic trial setting, EASI scoring is time intensive and not feasible for most clinic visits. We investigated the validated Investigator Global assessment (vIGA) multiplied by Body Surface Area (BSA) as a more rapid alternative to EASI to evaluate AD severity and disease extent. <h3>Methods</h3> 65 difficult-to-control pediatric AD patients were longitudinally followed in a Multidisciplinary AD Clinic from July 2019 to May 2022. At each visit the following evaluations were collected: vIGA, BSA, and EASI scores. Correlation between evaluation type was analyzed via Pearson's r correlation for each individual visit. <h3>Results</h3> EASI had the strongest correlation to vIGAxBSA (r=0.934, p<0.001) for each visit compared to BSA (r=0.924, p<0.001) and vIGA (r=0.793, p<0.001). vIGAxBSA had the weakest correlation (r=0.633, p=<0.001) to EASI scores for scores less than 7 (clear to mild), but had the strongest correlation (r=0.891, p<0.001) for EASI scores greater than 7 (moderate to severe). <h3>Conclusion</h3> Given the limited time in traditional clinic settings, EASI evaluations are not viable for every patient even though it is a more comprehensive measurement of disease severity. Correlation of EASI to vIGAxBSA was significant and stronger than vIGA or BSA alone, showing potential for vIGAxBSA as an alternative to quantitatively evaluate severity of AD in the clinic setting.