Unmet Medical Needs in Chronic, Non-communicable Inflammatory Skin Diseases

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Immunology
• Genetics

Background:

• Chronic inflammatory skin diseases impact 20-25% of the population.
• Causes include genetics, environmental factors, autoimmunity (T-cell or B-cell driven), autoinflammatory, and rheumatic diseases.
• Common examples include atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, urticaria, lichen planus, and hidradenitis suppurativa.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current landscape of chronic inflammatory skin diseases.
• To highlight challenges in diagnosis and treatment.
• To emphasize the need for improved diagnostics and personalized medicine.

Main Methods:

• Review of common and rare chronic inflammatory skin diseases.
• Discussion of etiological factors (genetic, environmental, autoimmune).
• Analysis of current diagnostic and therapeutic approaches and their limitations.

Main Results:

• Significant advancements in diagnosis and treatment exist, yet challenges persist.
• Rarer conditions often suffer from delayed diagnosis due to low awareness and limited diagnostics.
• Systemic immunosuppression is common but associated with adverse events, insufficient response, and relapses.
• Innovative treatments for atopic dermatitis and psoriasis are available, but treatment response prediction is lacking.

Conclusions:

• Development of predictive (bio)markers is crucial for selecting specific medications for individual patients.
• Future developments hold promise for addressing current diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in chronic inflammatory skin diseases.