WEDNESDAY, Jan. 28, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) report a desire for climate-health education, which is infrequently addressed by clinicians, according to a research letter published online Jan. 20 in JMIR Dermatology.

Gunnar Mattson, M.P.H., M.D., from the University of California in San Francisco, and colleagues characterized how patients with AD perceive and experience the effects of climate change. The study population included 326 patients, of whom 207 completed an online survey.

The researchers found that 80.2 percent of the respondents reported that environmental-climate factors affect their AD, especially extreme heat and poor air quality (75.8 and 39.1 percent, respectively). Increased medication use, more symptomatic flares, more skin affected, and changes to daily behaviors were commonly reported effects (81.2, 80.7, 67.1, and 62.8 percent, respectively). Overall, 86.5 percent expressed an interest in understanding how environmental-climate factors affect their AD, but only 36.7 percent reported that their dermatologist addressed these concerns. More information, dedicated time during visits to plan for exposures, and more in-person visits were the most valued strategies for addressing climate-health impacts (79.2, 50.7, and 48.8 percent, respectively).

"This study highlights a disconnect between how patients with AD experience climate-related triggers and how often these concerns are addressed in clinical care," the authors write. "Findings underscore the need for tools and strategies to support climate-health conversations in dermatology."

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