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Understanding of the epidemiology and healthcare service utilization related to atopic dermatitis is necessary to inform the use of new treatments. This cross-sectional study was based on a group of patients with atopic dermatitis and a matched control group comprised of age- and sex- matched enrolees without atopic dermatitis from a large medical database. Healthcare service utilization usage data were extracted and compared between groups. The study included 116,816 patients with atopic dermatitis and 116,812 controls. Atopic dermatitis was associated with an increased burden of healthcare utilization across the entire spectrum of healthcare services compared with controls. For patients severely affected by atopic dermatitis, the increased burden correlated with disease severity: a high-er frequency of emergency room visits (odd ratio (OR) 1.7; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.6-1.9), dermatology wards hospitalizations (OR 315; 95% CI 0-7,342), and overall hospitalizations (OR 3.6; 95% CI 3.3-3.9). In conclusion, this study demonstrates an increased burden of healthcare utilization in atopic dermatitis.

Data regarding the association between psoriasis and dementia are inconclusive. The aim of this study was to evaluate this association in the database of Clalit Health Services, Israel. A comparative analysis for the association between psoriasis, dementia and its risk factors was performed for the entire study population and in the subgroup of patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. The study included 121,801 patients with psoriasis, of whom 16,947 were diagnosed with moderate-to-severe psoriasis, and 121,802 controls. Psoriasis was associated with a lower prevalence of dementia relative to control subjects (1.6% vs 1.8%; odds ratio (OR) 0.85; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.80-0.91; p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis adjusting for demographic variables, cardiovascular-related risk factors, and healthcare utilization demonstrated a significant inverse association between psoriasis and dementia in the entire study population (adjusted OR 0.86; 95% CI 0.76-0.96; p = 0.009), but not in the subgroup of patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis (adjusted OR 0.91; 95% CI 0.81-1.02; p = 0.113). In conclusion, these data support the hypothesis that psoriasis is inversely associated with dementia.

Onychomycosis is a fungal nail infection caused by dermatophytes, nondermatophyte molds, and yeasts. This difficult-to-treat chronic infection has a tendency to relapse despite treatment. This paper aims to offer a global perspective on onychomycosis management from expert physicians from around the world. Overall, the majority of experts surveyed used systemic, topical, and combination treatments approved in their countries and monitored patients based on the product insert or government recommendations. Although the basics of treating onychomycosis were similar between countries, slight differences in onychomycosis management between countries were found. These differences were mainly due to different approaches to adjunctive therapy, rating the severity of disease and use of prophylaxis treatment. A global perspective on the treatment of onychomycosis provides a framework of success for the committed clinician with appreciation of how onychomycosis is managed worldwide.