Epidemiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis in Developing Countries of Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East: A Review
October 2019
in “
Dermatology and Therapy
”
TLDR Atopic dermatitis is common in developing countries, but many patients receive poor care due to inconsistent guidelines and lack of resources.
The review highlighted that atopic dermatitis (AD) was increasingly prevalent in developing countries across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, presenting similarly across racial and ethnic groups but with some variations in patients with darker skin. It noted the lack of consistent diagnostic criteria and treatment guidelines, leading to challenges in adherence and resulting in many patients receiving ineffective or inappropriate care. Only about one-third of patients received medical care, and of those, nearly three-quarters received inadequate treatment. The review emphasized the need for improved training of medical specialists, better access to affordable care, and the development of new treatments, as existing guidelines were primarily based on European and North American populations, with little consideration for ethnic and racial differences in drug pharmacokinetics and skin physiology.
