# Cure for the itch: current clinical standards and therapies in allergic eczema

## TL;DR

This review discusses the current understanding, biomarkers, and treatments for allergic eczema, highlighting the need for better personalized care.

## Contribution

The paper summarizes recent clinical biomarkers and therapies for allergic eczema, emphasizing unmet needs in non-invasive diagnostics.

## Key findings

- Biomarkers like IgE levels, Th2 cytokines, and FLG mutations aid in AE diagnosis and monitoring.
- Available therapies include topical agents, phototherapy, and biologics for managing AE symptoms.
- Non-invasive and reliable biomarkers are still needed to improve personalized treatment approaches.

## Abstract

Allergic Eczema (AE) is a chronic, relapsing skin condition that significantly affects the quality of life of the AE patients and their caretakers. Decades of scientific and clinical research has helped understand the highly complex underpinnings of AE presentation wherein a multitude of variables, including the conspicuous variables such as environmental allergens, immunological triggers, genetic predisposition of individuals, to more nuanced socio-economic status, play an important part. Given the complexity of the disease, it is imperative to develop biomarkers enabling early and reliable clinical identifications and help in the active management of the disease, thereby minimizing the impact and burden of the disease on the patients. In this mini review, we provide a brief overview of AE, affected demographics, variables that trigger its onset, and summarize the discovery of various clinical biomarkers such as total and specific serum IgE levels, Th2 cytokine levels, filaggrin (FLG) mutations, periostin levels in skin, etc. that have been developed over the years to further improve the state of clinical monitoring of AE presentation and progression. Lastly, we also provide an overview of the clinical interventions and therapies, such as topical agents, phototherapy, and biologics, that are available to the patients to manage AE-related complications. While we have vastly improved the standard of care and diagnosis for the AE patients, there are still many unmet needs such as developing non-invasive, effective, and reliable clinical predictors and biomarkers which can usher better personalized treatments and provide a better quality of life to affected demographics.