Atopic Dermatitis in Skin of Colour Patients: A Clinically Practical Literature Review Summary

Abstract

The growing interest in understanding the nuances of dermatologic conditions across diverse ethnicities continues to gain momentum amongst practising dermatologists and residents. It is encouraging to see residency programs evolving to encompass a wider range of cases, both common and rare, from various ethnic backgrounds.

Atopic dermatitis is a common condition that every dermatologist encounters in their practice. However, its nuances in presentation amongst patients of varying skin tones can present significant challenges in diagnosis and management. 

To gather the most up to date, clinically applicable knowledge in atopic dermatitis patients with skin of colour, a literature review of all systematic reviews published in the last 5 years on this topic was conducted.  Three papers were chosen: Napolitano et al., Adawi et al., and Gan et al. The most clinically relevant aspects of these papers are summarized below.