Transcript
Announcer:
This is DermConsult on ReachMD. On this episode, Dr. Peter Lio, Clinical Assistant Professor of Dermatology and Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, will share his perspective on treatment success in atopic dermatitis. Let’s hear from him now.
Dr. Lio:
This is such an exciting time, not only in atopic dermatitis but throughout dermatology and medicine. I think we're witnessing the change in how we define success because of the fact that we have better, more targeted, and honestly safer treatments than we've ever had before. So it's been a bit of a moving target.
I think 20 years ago, success for many disorders might be simply saying, "Okay, you're a little bit better. Now you're able to sleep through the night for a few nights." Some of my patients were so severe, and that was about all I could do. But increasingly, what we find is that, as we get better tools in our toolbox and as we have better treatments available to us, that goal goes up and up and up.
So now, I think for patients, the goal is to become itch-free or nearly itch-free for long periods of time. It's to have the skin healed, clear, or almost clear for long periods of time, and to do so with incredible safety. Obviously, nothing is perfectly safe, but the trade-off is much more favorable, arguably incredibly favorable, where we have patients who have been doing great for months and years without any serious safety concerns.
But I think those are the big pieces: really getting the itch under great control, and getting the skin healed. And to me, the highest level is showing that the impact on their quality of life is essentially not there anymore. When patients forget to follow up, or they tell me, "I kind of forgot all about it," or, "I forgot to take my medicines," you know this is a new person. Somebody who was completely focused on their disease is now totally liberated. They're living a normal life. That's how I define winning.
Announcer:
That was Dr. Peter Lio discussing treatment success in atopic dermatitis. To access this and other episodes in this series, visit DermConsult on ReachMD.com, where you can Be Part of the Knowledge. Thanks for listening!
