Dataset Information

Treatment complexity and caregiver burden are linked in owners of dogs with allergic/atopic dermatitis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Skin disease severity and treatment plan complexity are both related to owner experience of caregiver burden; however, to date they have not been examined simultaneously in owners of dogs with atopic or other chronic allergic dermatitis.

Hypotheses/objectives

We expected to replicate and extend previous work by showing that caregiver burden is linked to treatment complexity and disease severity in this population. Moreover, we hypothesized that a relationship between burden and treatment complexity would be present in both subjective (owner report of experience) and objective (number of weekly treatments) measures, and that these relationships would exist independent of skin disease severity.

Participants

Eighty-six owners of dogs with atopic or other chronic allergic dermatitis recruited through social media dog allergy groups.

Methods and materials

Cross-sectional online assessments were completed for caregiver burden, treatment plan complexity and skin disease severity.

Results

Caregiver burden was correlated with skin disease severity (r = 0.40) and both subjective (r = 0.37) and objective (r =0.30) measures of treatment complexity (P < 0.01 for all). Relationships between caregiver burden and treatment complexity remained significant after accounting for skin disease severity.

Conclusions and clinical importance

Greater treatment plan complexity is associated with higher caregiver burden in owners of dogs with atopic or other chronic allergic dermatitis. The independence of this relationship highlights the importance of simplicity in effective treatment planning.

SUBMITTER: Spitznagel MB

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8048808 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Atopic dermatitis (AD) is associated with itch, skin inflammation and barrier disruption, and scratching, all of which may be associated with skin pain. OBJECTIVE:To characterize the patient burden of skin pain in AD. METHODS:We performed a prospective dermatology practice-based study using questionnaires and evaluation by a dermatologist. RESULTS:Overall, 305 patients (age range, 13-97 years) were included in the study, with 564 encounters. The cohort included 195 females (63.9%) and 193 whites (63.7%). The mean (SD) age at enrollment was 42.3 (18.1) years, and the mean (SD) age of patient-reported AD onset was 29.6 (31.9) years. At baseline, 144 patients (42.7%) reported skin pain in the past week, with 42 (13.8%) reporting severe or very severe pain. Twenty-four (16.8%) thought the skin pain was part of their itch, 16 (11.2%) from scratching, and 77 (72.0%) from both. Patients with skin pain were more likely to describe their itch using terms that resembled neuropathic pain. Prevalence of skin pain was increased in patients with vs without excoriations (72.6% vs 57.6%; ?2 test P?=?.02) but not other morphologic characteristics. Skin pain severity was most strongly correlated with the Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure (Spearman ??=?0.54), followed by ItchyQOL (??=?0.52), 5-dimensions of itch scale (??=?0.47), Dermatology Life Quality Index (??=?0.45), numeric rating scale for itch (??=?0.43) and sleep (??=?0.36), Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (??=?0.36), patient-reported global AD severity (??=?0.34), Eczema Area and Severity Index (??=?0.23), and objective Scoring AD index (??=?0.20) (P?<?.001 for all). Patients with both severe itch and pain vs those with only one or neither symptom being severe had significant increases in all these measures. CONCLUSION:Skin pain is a common and burdensome symptom in AD. Skin pain severity should be assessed with itch severity in AD patients and may be an important end point for monitoring treatment response.