Atopic dermatitis. Current concepts support old therapies and spur new ones

With diligent care, most patients with atopic dermatitis markedly improve within a very short period. Avoidance of exacerbating factors and use of a mild topical corticosteroid preparation generally bring relief in all but the most extreme cases. Most of the newer, more intrusive therapies remain too expensive, too toxic, or too burdensome to warrant general support. Resistant cases often relate more to failure to pay appropriate attention to simple details (eg, avoidance of excessive contact with water and irritants) than to lack of sufficient potency in the medications chosen. Practitioners serve their patients best by taking adequate time to educate them and their families on the fundamental aspects of the disease, the importance of using common sense in caring for themselves and thus avoiding problems, and the need to relinquish the hope for a miracle cure, since none exists.