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Radhika Srivastava, MD: Management of Pruritus in Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis

Dr. Srivastava discusses the impact of pruritus in pediatric atopic dermatitis, including sleep disturbances, psychosocial effects, and increased caregiver burden. She explains why nonsteroidal topical therapies can be particularly valuable for managing itch and active disease in sensitive areas where prolonged topical corticosteroid use may be less suitable for prolonged use. Dr. Srivastava also reviews phase 3 data showing rapid and sustained itch improvement with topical ruxolitinib in pediatric patients, along with improvements in sleep disturbance and quality of life. She emphasizes that reducing pruritus is a key treatment goal for both pediatric patients and families and an important component of improving overall disease burden.


Topics Covered:

  • Impact of pruritus on sleep, quality of life, and caregiver burden
  • Role of nonsteroidal topical therapies in pediatric atopic dermatitis
  • Clinical evidence for itch improvement with topical ruxolitinib

 

References:

  1. Schoch JJ, Anderson KR, Jones AE, Tollefson MM; Section on Dermatology. Atopic dermatitis: update on skin-directed management: clinical report. Pediatrics. 2025;155(6):e2025071812.
  2. Sur M, Boca AN, Ilies RF, et al. Correlation between quality of life and disease severity of pediatric patients with atopic dermatitis. Exp Ther Med. 2020;20(6):189.
  3. Yang EJ, Sekhon S, Sanchez IM, Beck KM, Bhutani T. Recent developments in atopic dermatitis. Pediatrics. 2018;142(4):e20181102.
  4. Eichenfield LF, Shi VY, Yu J, et al. Patient-reported impact of atopic dermatitis on pediatric and adolescent patients with moderate-to-severe disease: results of a real-world, cross-sectional survey. Pediatr Dermatol. 2025;42(3):523–531.
  5. Blauvelt A, Kircik L, Papp KA, et al. Rapid pruritus reduction with ruxolitinib cream treatment in patients with atopic dermatitis. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2023;37(1):137–146.
  6. Eichenfield LF, Stein Gold LF, Simpson EL, et al. Efficacy and safety of ruxolitinib cream in children aged 2 to 11 years with atopic dermatitis: results from TRuE-AD3, a phase 3, randomized double-blind study. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2025;93(3):689–698.
  7. Carrascosa JM, Prajapati VH, Hong HC, et al. Ruxolitinib cream in adults with moderate atopic dermatitis after failure of other topicals: a randomized trial. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2026.
  8. Schoch JJ, Anderson KR, Jones AE, Tollefson MM; Section on Dermatology. Atopic Dermatitis: Update on Skin-Directed Management: Clinical Report. Pediatrics. 2025 Jun 1;155(6):e2025071812. doi: 10.1542/peds.2025-071812. PMID: 40383540.
  9. Sur M, Boca AN, Ilies RF, Floca E, Tataru A, Sur L. Correlation between quality of life and disease severity of pediatric patients with atopic dermatitis. Exp Ther Med. 2020 Dec;20(6):189. doi: 10.3892/etm.2020.9319. Epub 2020 Oct 13. PMID: 33101479; PMCID: PMC7579765.
  10. Yang EJ, Sekhon S, Sanchez IM, Beck KM, Bhutani T. Recent Developments in Atopic Dermatitis. Pediatrics. 2018 Oct;142(4):e20181102. doi: 10.1542/peds.2018-1102. PMID: 30266868.
  11. Eichenfield LF, Shi VY, Yu J, Pierce EJ, Atwater AR, Austin J, Anderson P, Paller AS. Patient-Reported Impact of Atopic Dermatitis on Pediatric and Adolescent Patients With Moderate-To-Severe Disease: Results of a Real-World, Cross-Sectional Survey. Pediatr Dermatol. 2025 May-Jun;42(3):523-531. doi: 10.1111/pde.15940. Epub 2025 Apr 20. PMID: 40254467; PMCID: PMC12118527.
  12. Blauvelt A, Kircik L, Papp KA, Simpson EL, Silverberg JI, Kim BS, Kwatra SG, Kuligowski ME, Venturanza ME, Wei S, Szepietowski JC. Rapid pruritus reduction with ruxolitinib cream treatment in patients with atopic dermatitis. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2023 Jan;37(1):137-146. doi: 10.1111/jdv.18571. Epub 2022 Sep 21. PMID: 36066323; PMCID: PMC10087253.
  13. Eichenfield LF, Stein Gold LF, Simpson EL, Zaenglein AL, Armstrong AW, Tollefson MM, Soong W, Wine Lee L, Devani AR, Forman SB, Siri DD, Kallender H, Angel B, Li Q, Chen X, Paller AS. Efficacy and safety of ruxolitinib cream in children aged 2 to 11 years with atopic dermatitis: Results from TRuE-AD3, a phase 3, randomized double-blind study. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2025 Sep;93(3):689-698. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2025.05.1385. Epub 2025 May 14. PMID: 40378883.
  14. Carrascosa JM, Prajapati VH, Hong HC, Eleftheriadou V, Tsianakas A, Navarini AA, Peris K, Song EJ, Chovatiya R, Barbarot S, Popovic K, Nawaz H, Li Q, Purohit V, Wollenberg A. Ruxolitinib cream in adults with moderate atopic dermatitis after failure of other topicals: A randomized trial. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2026 Jul 20. doi: 10.1111/jdv.70595. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42473690.

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