Attentiveness and mental health in adolescents with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis without ADHD

Patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) experience intense chronic itch and impaired sleep. Reports from parents and teachers suggest that AD patients may also have attention problems. However, attention has not yet been directly assessed in AD patients. We utilized an objective, computer-based continuous performance test (CPT) validated for use in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis to formally evaluate attention in adolescent AD subjects. This was a single-visit, cross-sectional, non-interventional study of moderate-to-severe (Investigator's Global Assessment [IGA] ≥ 3) AD subjects aged 12-17 years without clinician-diagnosed ADHD. Attention was evaluated using two performance-based measures: Conners, CPT-3 and the Stroop Color and Word Test. The primary parameter was CPT-3 detectability (d') measure. Lesional severity measures included Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) and body surface area (BSA) involvement. Subjects completed self-report rating scales assessing sensory responsiveness patterns (Adult/Adolescent Sensory Profile [AASP]), itch (Peak Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale [PP-NRS]), skin pain, quality of life, sleep, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. A total of 44 subjects were included in the study (61.4% female; mean age 15.0 [SD 1.78] years; mean EASI 20.4 [SD 7.8]; mean PP-NRS 7.0 [SD 1.8]). Results indicated substantial disease impact on sleep, quality of life, and comorbid anxiety and depressive symptoms. The mean (SD) Conners, CPT-3 d' T-score was 48.7 (SD 10.7), similar to the expected mean from a randomly selected age/gender-matched sample of the general population (50 [SD 10], by definition). Overall, 13.6% of subjects exhibited a d' T-score ≥ 60 (clinically significant poor performance), which was not greater than the expected general population value (15.9%). Subject-level data review by two psychologists determined that only 2 subjects demonstrated an overall response pattern that clearly indicated attention deficit. Many subjects had atypical sensory responsiveness profiles: sensory hypersensitivity (38.6%), sensory avoidance (50%), and low registration (hypo-sensitivity, 36.4%). Adolescents with moderate-to-severe AD without existing ADHD diagnosis did not demonstrate greater attention problems on performance-based measures than would be expected in age/gender-matched peers.Trial registration NCT05203380.