Abstract
Atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis are common chronic skin diseases affecting children. These disorders negatively impact the quality of life (QoL) of patients in health-related aspects such as physical, psychosocial, and mental functioning. This health impact is more accurately represented when accounting for the numerous comorbidities associated with each disorder, and the impact the disorders have on patients’ families. A number of QoL tools have been developed and can be routinely implemented in the evaluation of QoL in pediatric patients and their caregivers. Ways to improve QoL include a multidisciplinary approach to care, education, and psychological support.
Highlights
Atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis are common cutaneous diseases among children
Itch is the main symptom of AD that can lead to frequent scratching, painful skin, loss of sleep, and skin infections [1,6]
Psoriasis is much less prevalent in children than AD with the estimated prevalence of childhood psoriasis varying from 0% to 1.37% globally
Summary
Atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis are common cutaneous diseases among children. AD is a chronic pruritic inflammatory skin disease that often presents as ill-defined, erythematous weeping or crusted, papules and/or plaques, and is frequently accompanied by a personal or family history of type. Psoriasis often first appears between the ages of 15 and 35, about a third of patients developed the condition during the first two decades, and 10–15% reported onset before age 10 [7,8,9]. It is a chronic relapsing inflammatory disease triggered by the expression of Th17 and TNF/IL-17 synergistic cytokines primarily [10]. An already large and growing body of literature concludes that both AD and psoriasis profoundly impact the HRQoL of affected children and their families, especially in more moderate to severe disease [13,14,15].
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