Comparative Real-World Analysis of Baseline Demographic Characteristics and Comorbidities in Atopic Dermatitis Patients Initiating Biologics Versus JAK Inhibitors

Abstract

Background: Systemic advanced therapies, including biologic drugs and Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, have revolutionized atopic dermatitis management. The increasing number of available options for such complex diseases demands careful treatment selection for each patient, considering numerous variables. Comparative analyses of these treatment modalities in the real world are still limited. Only a faithful basal characterization would enable posterior meaningful and accurate comparisons of the efficacy and safety profiles of these groups of drugs. This communication focuses on describing and comparing the baseline demographics and comorbidities of patients with atopic dermatitis currently treated with biologic therapies versus JAK inhibitors in our setting. Methods: We conducted an observational, descriptive, and ambispective study across three hospitals covering a population of over 500,000 inhabitants from January 2019 to December 2024. Baseline demographic data, anthropometric measures, lifestyle factors, cardiovascular risk factors, and comorbidities were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Additionally, basal severity and effectivity over time have also been compared. Results: A total of 150 patients were analyzed. A total of 102 had received biological therapies (dupilumab or tralokinumab), whereas 48 patients had received JAK inhibitors (upadacitinib, baricitinib, or abrocitinib). Ages ranged from 11 to 76 years. The overall cohort had a mean age of 35.87 ± 14.37 years and a male predominance (male-to-female ratio 1.63:1). Hypertension was more prevalent in the JAK inhibitors group (p = 0.0175), yet other cardiovascular risk factors, body measurements, atopic and non-atopic comorbidities, and disease severity were comparable across both groups. Conclusions: This study helped to characterize the baseline characteristics of patients treated with advanced systemic therapies in a real-world clinical setting. It pointed to just slight differences between the profiles of patients treated with biologics versus JAK inhibitors. This homogeneity in baseline characteristics sets the ground for further future comparisons of treatment outcomes in this cohort as potential confounding factors related to group imbalances are minimized.