Patch test a boon to dupilumab-treated patients

A prospective, multicentre study has demonstrated the efficacy of patch tests (PTs) for patients who are being treated with dupilumab.

The authors performed this study to analyse PT reactivities and relevance during treatment with dupilumab. They also tried to determine whether PTs could detect acute contact dermatitis in patients with uncontrolled or worsened atopic dermatitis (AD) receiving this medication.

Overall, 76 patients on dupilumab who had undergone PTs were included in the analysis. The authors then collected relevant data during their three follow-up visits.

Of the patients, 36 (47 percent) had at least one PT reaction, and 142 PT results turned out to be positive. Twenty-three patients (30 percent) also showed one or more positive and clinically relevant PT result. Of these, five had clinical eczema improvement following allergen avoidance.

PT results of 36 patients were then compared before and during dupilumab treatment, representing a total of 1,230 paired PT allergens. Of these, 1,022 were the same, 34 were positive, 44 were lost, and 130 were uninterpretable.

“We suggest that all dupilumab-treated patients with AD developing partial responses or experiencing symptom worsening should undergo PTs to look for contact sensitization,” the authors said.

“Because the number of patients included remains limited, our findings should be confirmed with a larger sample,” they added.