Pain severity and use of analgesic medication in adults with atopic dermatitis: a cross-sectional study.

Patients with AD did not display increased use of pain medication, but few had severe disease. The close relationship observed between itch and pain highlights the potential benefits of established AD treatments to also reduce skin pain in AD. What's already known about this topic? There is increased awareness about skin pain being a significant burden of atopic dermatitis (AD). What does this study add? We found that skin pain is increased with AD severity and itch. The comparable use of pain medication in patients with AD and controls suggests that dermatological treatments reduce skin pain.