Dupilumab for the treatment of adolescents with atopic dermatitis.

INTRODUCTION: Dupilumab is a treatment option newly licensed for adolescents with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD). It reduces type 2 inflammation by blocking the shared receptor subunit for IL-4/-13. Dupilumab affects three disease mechanisms in atopic dermatitis: the skin barrier, the Th2-cell differentiation and the class switch to IgE. This report is based on a systematic literature search of the PubMed Database. AREAS COVERED: Dupilumab showed promising results in improving AD signs, symptoms and quality of life in adolescents with moderate to severe AD. The safety profile of dupilumab in adolescents with moderate to severe AD closely resembled the known safety profile of dupilumab in adults with moderate to severe AD. Injection-site reactions and conjunctivitis were the relevant side-effects. Skin infections were less frequently observed compared to placebo. EXPERT COMMENTARY: Dupilumab was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in March 2019 and by the European Medicines Agency in August 2019 for the treatment of adolescents with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis whose disease is not adequately controlled with topical therapies or when those therapies are not advisable. Since it is the first licensed drug it will likely become the reference drug for adolescents with moderate to severe AD.

Linear patterns of the skin and their dermatoses.

Knowledge about the linear patterns of the skin is a key competence of dermatologists. Four major groups of linear patterns can be distinguished: Langer lines, dermatomes, Blaschko lines and exogenous patterns. Langer lines run in the direction of the underlying collagen fibers (least skin tension) and play an important diagnostic role for some exanthematous skin diseases. In the thoracodorsal region, the distribution of the Langer lines gives rise to what is referred to as a 'Christmas tree pattern'. A dermatome is an area of skin that is supplied by a single spinal nerve. Disorders with a neuronal origin follow this pattern of distribution. The lines of Blaschko delineate the lines of migration of epidermal cells during embryogenesis. Exogenous linear patterns are caused by external factors. The present CME article will highlight important skin disorders that primarily present in the form of one of the aforementioned patterns. In addition, we will also address skin conditions that may secondarily follow with these patterns (or distinctly not do so) as the result of various mechanisms such as the Koebner phenomenon, reverse Koebner phenomenon, and Wolf's isotopic response.