More than a symptom: itch as an independent clinical contributor in atopic dermatitis: a global-scale study on 15 223 patients 

SUMMARY

While pruritus is widely acknowledged as a central feature in the burden of atopic dermatitis (AD), its precise influence on quality of life has not been thoroughly explored on a global scale.1–4 This study aims to bridge this gap by conducting an international investigation to assess the specific effect of pruritus on the quality of life of patients with AD. 

The study was conducted within the framework of ‘Scars of Life’ (SoL).5 The study population was selected from the mega database Megabase, Kantar Health (New York, NY, USA). A representative sample of the population from 27 countries using the quota method5 was selected, based on the distribution of the population according to age, sex, environment (large cities, towns and rural areas) and income, in order to guarantee national representativeness of the sample.