Volume 36, Issue 6 pp. 820-835
Systematic Review

Dupilumab ocular side effects in patients with atopic dermatitis: a systematic review

N. Neagu

Corresponding Author

N. Neagu

State Clinic of Dermatology, Mureş County Hospital, Tîrgu Mureş, Romania

These authors have equally contributed.

Correspondence: N. Neagu. E-mail: [email protected]

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C. Dianzani

C. Dianzani

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Unit, Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, Rome, Italy

These authors have equally contributed.Search for more papers by this author
G. Avallone

G. Avallone

Medical Sciences Department, Section of Dermatology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

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C. Dell’Aquila

C. Dell’Aquila

Department of Medical, Surgical Sciences and Health, Eye Clinic, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy

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S.-H. Morariu

S.-H. Morariu

State Clinic of Dermatology, Mureş County Hospital, Tîrgu Mureş, Romania

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I. Zalaudek

I. Zalaudek

Dermatology Clinic, Maggiore Hospital of Trieste, Trieste, Italy

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C. Conforti

C. Conforti

Dermatology Clinic, Maggiore Hospital of Trieste, Trieste, Italy

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First published: 04 February 2022
Citations: 25

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding sources

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, inflammatory skin disorder that most frequently occurs in children, but it can also affect adults. Even though most AD cases can be managed with topical treatments, moderate-to-severe forms require systemic therapies. Dupilumab is the first human monoclonal antibody approved for the treatment of AD. Its action is through IL-4 receptor alpha subunit inhibition, thus blocking IL-4 and IL-13 signaling pathways. It has been shown to be an effective, well-tolerated therapy for AD, as well as for asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP), and eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). However, an increasing incidence of dupilumab-induced ocular surface disease (DIOSD) has been reported in patients treated with dupilumab, as compared to placebo. The aim of this study was to summarize scientific data regarding DIOSD in AD patients treated with dupilumab. A search of PubMed and clinicaltrials.gov databases was performed. There was no limit to study design. All AD cases were moderate-to-severe. DIOSD was either dermatologist-, allergist-, or ophthalmologist-assessed. Evidence shows that DIOSD occurs most frequently in patients with atopic dermatitis and not in other skin conditions, neither in patients with asthma, CRSwNP, nor EoE who are on dupilumab treatment. Further studies are warranted in order to establish a causal relationship between dupilumab and ocular surface disease. Nevertheless, ophthalmological evaluations prior to dupilumab initiation can benefit AD patients with previous ocular pathology or current ocular symptomatology. Also, patch testing for ocular allergic contact dermatitis might be advantageous in patients with a history of allergic conjunctivitis. Furthermore, TARC, IgE, and circulating eosinophils levels might be important biomarkers for a baseline assessment of future candidates to dupilumab treatment. However, TARC measurements should be resumed for research purposes only.

Data availability statement

The data we included in this manuscript are openly available in a public repository that issues datasets with DOIs.

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