WEDNESDAY, April 15, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Consensus-based definitions of low disease activity (LDA), very low disease activity (vLDA), and remission have been developed for atopic dermatitis (AD) and published online April 15 in JAMA Dermatology.

Joseph F. Merola, M.D., from the UT Southwestern Medical Center and O'Donnell School of Public Health in Dallas, and colleagues developed consensus-based definitions of LDA, vLDA, and remission in AD. A targeted systematic review was conducted, followed by appraisal of evidence using the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine criteria. A three-round sequential modified Delphi process was then conducted, and panelists iteratively reviewed feedback, refined thresholds, and provided qualitative rationale.

The researchers found that in the initial survey, 43 panelists (74 percent) endorsed a modular framework that stratifies clinician-reported signs and patient-reported symptoms as complimentary components of remission. The final consensus of definitions included validated Investigator Global Assessment for Atopic Dermatitis (vIGA) of 2 or Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) ≤7 plus Peak Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale (PP-NRS) ≤4 for LDA; vIGA-AD of 0/1 or EASI ≤3 plus PP-NRS of 0/1 for vLDA; vIGA-AD of 0 or EASI of 0 plus PP-NRS of 0/1 for at least six months for on-drug complete control; and vIGA-AD of 0 or EASI of 0 plus PP-NRS of 0/1 maintained for at least 12 months after treatment for off-drug remission.

"Through this modified Delphi consensus process, we established internationally endorsed, expert-driven working definitions of LDA, vLDA, off-drug remission, and on-drug complete control in AD, grounded in four domains and integrating clinician- and patient-reported components," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to biopharmaceutical companies, including Sanofi, which partially supported the study.

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