Atopic dermatitis guidelines: Diagnosis, systemic therapy, and adjunctive care

Atopic dermatitis is an important and chronic skin condition that has recently been the subject of enormous volumes of basic science, clinical, and epidemiologic research. This field is undergoing rapid expansion, making it vitally important to integrate the emerging data with our current body of knowledge. In 2014, the American Academy of Dermatology published Guidelines of Care for the Management of Atopic Dermatitis, composed of four parts, reflecting the work of 17 experts from North America and the United Kingdom.[1], [2], [3], [4] It uses a patient-oriented system, SORT (Strength of Recommendation Taxonomy), to provide evidence-based guidance in the management of this common, vexing dermatitis. These guidelines join a series of similar efforts published recently across the world, reflecting universal interest in distilling the tremendous volume of basic scientific and clinical data previously generated.[5], [6], [7] With new therapies rapidly emerging, clinicians require a current understanding of the field to be able to incorporate new treatments in their practice.