Healthcare resource utilization and costs in pediatric patients under 6 years old with atopic dermatitis in the United States: A retrospective, observational, cross-sectional study
JAAD International, 2026
Background
Atopic dermatitis (AD) (also known as eczema) is a long-term skin disease affecting 13% of children in the United States. These children often have other inflammatory conditions, including asthma, hay fever (allergic rhinitis), and food allergies. Currently, little is known about the use of healthcare resources (hospital visits and admissions and emergency room/urgent care visits) and the associated healthcare costs in children with AD. In this study, we looked at the treatment received for AD, use of healthcare, and associated costs in patients with AD in the United States aged between 6 months and 6 years who were treated for their AD. Patients were split into 3 groups based on received treatments: low-potency topical treatment (LTT) used to treat mild AD, medium-to-high-potency topical treatment (MHTT) for moderate AD, and systemic treatments (ST) for severe AD. Of 23,098 patients studied, 5,452 received LTT, 6,778 received MHTT, and 10,868 received ST. The use of healthcare was similar in children treated with LTT and MHTT, but higher in children treated with ST, including hospital admissions and emergency room/urgent care visits. Healthcare costs per patient were higher in AD patients treated with MHTT and ST, compared to LTT, primarily due to medical expenses. Children had a high number of AD-related inflammatory conditions, with highest burden in the ST group The study showed that patients treated with ST had higher healthcare utilization and costs, suggesting a higher disease burden.
Objective
To assess healthcare resource utilization and healthcare costs in this patient group.
Methods
This retrospective, 1-year, cross-sectional, observational study (July 2016-December 2019) of US patients used data from the IQVIA PharMetrics Plus Database. Patients were assigned to cohorts based on treatments received: LTTs, MHTTs, and STs.
Results
Overall, 23,098 patients were included (LTT: 5452; MHTT: 6778; ST: 10,868). All-cause health care resource utilization was generally similar for the MHTT and LTT cohorts, but was higher in the ST cohort, including inpatient admissions (1.5% and 1.5% vs 6.5%) and emergency room/urgent care visits (22.0% and 22.0% vs 37.5%). The mean all-cause healthcare costs per patient were higher in the ST and MHTT cohorts vs LTT cohort ($9272.24 and $5671.60 vs $5249.69), with the majority being medical costs ($8135.93 and $4669.39 vs $4221.56).
Limitations
Possibility of selection bias and misclassification if treatments were used for conditions other than atopic dermatitis; exclusion of patients using over-the-counter treatments; neglecting out-of-pocket costs.
Conclusion
Patients receiving ST had higher healthcare resource utilization and costs than patients receiving LTT, with medical costs being the main driver.
Authors
Silverberg JI, Martins B, Du M, Yang M, Noonan K, Korotzer A, Wang Z