Solving the health disparity of eczema assessment: A role for skin tape soluble protein?

BACKGROUND: The assessment of erythema in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) is based on clinical examination. The difficulty of perceiving erythema in Black patients with AD has led to underestimation of AD severity in these patients. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we analyzed the concentration of skin tape soluble protein of AD lesions against common AD clinical signs. METHOD: A total of 50 children with AD were included. Skin tape total soluble protein was extracted from AD lesions and analyzed against validated AD clinical signs, including erythema, excoriation, edema, oozing, and lichenification. RESULTS: Concentration of skin tape soluble protein is positively correlated with acute signs of AD, especially erythema. CONCLUSION: Determination of concentration of skin tape protein is a potential tool for grading erythema of AD lesions, and it may have an application in improving the health disparity of assessment of eczema severity in Black patients with AD.