It’s Eczema Awareness Month

October is Eczema Awareness Month! It’s a great time to promote your expertise in treating this condition.  Use the College’s materials for allergists, including information you can share with patients.

For allergists and their patients

• Share the benefits and risks of available treatments. Use the Atopic Dermatitis Shared Decision-making Toolkit to facilitate discussion with patients.
• “Eczema In Skin of Color” is a partnership between the College and the Allergy & Asthma Network to address disparities in diagnosing and treating eczema in skin of color. Visit Eczemainskinofcolor.org for information and resources on recognizing eczema in people with all skin types.
• For your patients, the College’s Eczema web page has excellent information on the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of atopic dermatitis. Encourage them to watch the videos highlighting a patient’s personal story of her struggle and successful treatment of eczema and a Black teen’s experience navigating the diagnosis and management of her eczema.
• NEW videos: College Fellow Kelly Maples, MD explains allergic skin conditions in short videos (less than 90 seconds!) – perfect for viewing in your waiting room.
  • Why should I see an allergist for my eczema?
  • What does eczema look like in skin of color?

For allergists’ education and their practices

• The Atopic Dermatitis eYardstick is a valuable resource for allergists to assist patients who have continuing eczema symptoms even after trying other therapies.
• Create a prior authorization appeal letter for Dupixent to treat atopic dermatitis in a few easy steps.
• Try the College’s MicroCME modules in just 15 to 30 minutes. New modules focused on skin include Updates on Atopic Dermatitis GRADE Guidelines and Mimics of Atopic Dermatitis.
• Enjoy podcasts? Our AllergyTalk podcast has a three-episode series on Disparities in Atopic Dermatitis:
  • Current Evidence for Disparities in AD
  • Influence of Skin of Color in Diagnosing and Managing Patients with AD
  • Improving Access to Treatment for AD in Minority and Underserved Populations

More information

• Read Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology for research on atopic dermatitis:
  • Atopic Dermatitis Yardstick Update
  • Safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of ruxolitinib cream in children and adolescents with atopic dermatitis
  • Corticosteroid exposure and cumulative effects in patients with eczema
• The Allergists’ Foundation 2023 grant recipient Kamran Imam, MD, who is an ACAAI FIT member, will embark on a retrospective study to determine the prevalence of atopic diseases among American Indian/Native Alaskans (AI/NA) in the local urban indigenous population of San Diego. Since most prior studies have focused on health care disparities between ethnic minorities and the general population, this project will generate much needed data on allergic diseases in the AI/NA population. Read about Dr. Imam’s project and the other 2023 Community Grant recipients.