Road to RAD: Taking Itch Into Consideration

In a recent interview with Dermatology Times, Jonathan Silverberg, MD, PhD, MPH, professor of dermatology at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, discussed the role of itch in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), and how it factors into treatment.

“All patients with AD are impact by itch. It's the universal symptom of the disease, but some are impacted more by itch than others, and sometimes there's a disconnect between how their itch is affecting them and how their lesions can look. For patients who have severe lesions and severe itch, I think we would treat the severe lesions and aim to get the itch better with that. I think a lot of the patients who have severe itch but don't have such severe lesions are often missed, and I think it's an important group that we need to make sure that we're appropriately addressing," Silverberg said. “Those patients often require systemics or biologics, but are not being put on them. From the data that we have available, it looks like really all of the biologics or systemic therapies, the JAK inhibitors, can work well in that subset of patients, but it's important to at least use something above and beyond topicals in that patient population where they have severe itch. I would argue that there may be no 2 patients who are exactly alike in this respect, and there's an opportunity to really tailor the treatment to individual patient preferences.”

Silverberg, a co-chair of the conference, will be presenting on a number of topics, including new and upcoming therapies, managing itch, and more. He will be joined by co-chair Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD, MSCI; Dermatology Times Editor in Chief Christopher Bunick, MD, PhD; Mona Shahriari, MD; and even more experts in the field. With presentations on everything from dose flexibility to late breaking research, there is sure to be something for everyone at RAD 2025.

Want to hear more pearls and expert insights on AD? Join us at the annual Revolutionizing Atopic Dermatitis Conference this June in Nashville, TN. Use code DT40 for 40% off your RAD 2025 registration.

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