Francis Gadkari
Medicaid covers an estimated 50% of children in the United States. Some of these patients are illiterate about health and have limited access to medications and specialty care. These factors influence treatment adherence in paediatric patients suffering from atopic dermatitis (AD), the most common inflammatory skin disease in children. This study examines and compares treatment patterns and healthcare resource utilisation (HCRU) among large cohorts of Medicaid and commercially insured children with Alzheimer's disease. A small number of children were examined by a dermatologist or an allergy/immunology specialist. There were several significant differences between commercially and Medicaid-insured children with AD. Disparities found for Medicaid-insured children included: fewer received specialist care, higher emergency department and urgent care centre utilisation, a higher proportion had asthma and non-atopic morbidities, high-potency topical corticosteroids and calcineurin inhibitors were less frequently prescribed, and antihistamine prescriptions were more than three times higher, despite similar rates of comorbid asthma and allergies among antihistamine users. Treatment patterns also differed significantly across physician specialties.
Yeong Kozera
Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease that primarily affects women. The role of sex hormones, such as oestrogen and progesterone, is unknown, but changes in hormone levels may play a role in disease activity in many patients. Women with HS should be given special clinical considerations, especially during pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and menopause. Current knowledge gaps in HS include the disease's cumulative impact over an individual's lifetime, as well as the mechanistic role of sex hormones in the disease. A better understanding of hormones' pathophysiologic role in HS would improve our ability to use targeted therapies for hormonally driven disease. Psychological and psychosexual support is an important aspect for women with HS as part of any disease-management strategy. This article combines the most recent pathogenic and mechanistic findings with evidence-based clinical management to improve care for women with HS.