Area Specific Monitoring of Stratum Corneum Hydration and Transepidermal Water Loss among Atopic Dermatitis Patients

Abstract

AbstractSCORAD is widely used to assess the severity of atopic eczema, but score systems based on the entire body may be limited in effective monitoring and intervention. It is crucial to monitor moisture levels in affected body part, but empirical research is still lacking. We analyzed the levels of stratum corneum hydration (SCH) and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) in 98 atopic dermatitis (AD) patients under the age of 10 at 15 body sites. Patients were also assessed with SCORAD and for the presence of atopic lesions at each body site. About 50-60% of AD patients had lesions in the antecubital fossa and popliteal fossa, with corresponding low SCH levels and high TEWL in the upper body. The differences in TEWL between the control group and AD patients were confirmed significant in the neck and antecubital fossa regions, while differences in SCH were identified in the face, antecubital fossa and popliteal fossa regions. A higher TEWL was found among AD patients with atopic lesions in the face and ankle. This study suggests continuous monitoring of SCH and TEWL levels at specific body sites can help identifying vulnerable body areas to atopic dermatitis, which supplements SCORAD for effective clinical intervention and prevention.