Healthcare Service Utilization by 116,816 Patients with Atopic Dermatitis in Israel

Abstract

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 high­er 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.

Keywords

• atopic dermatitis
• healthcare service utilization
• epidemiology