Economic Burden and Quality of Life of Patients With Moderate to Severe Atopic Dermatitis in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Helsinki, Finland: A Survey-Based Study

Abstract

We investigated medical costs and quality of life (QOL) in 167 patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD) at a tertiary health care hospital in Helsinki, Finland. In the studied cohort, AD caused a substantial economic burden to the patients and health care system. Most patients with AD in Finland can achieve disease control with topical treatments, but it is important to efficiently manage the patients who require additional supportive measures and specialist consultations, which may be challenging in the primary health care system due to the relapsing and remitting nature of the disease.