Caregivers of children living with atopic dermatitis (AD) are constantly facing challenges associated with the disease. It can make daily tasks such as getting the child dressed, organizing their social life, or caring for siblings harder and, at times, may lead to sleeplessness and psychological stress.^{1, 2} How would you help support caregivers to reduce the impact of AD on their family life?

Challenge

Moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD), a form of eczema, is a chronic inflammatory disease that can cause dry rashes on the skin and persistent itch.^{3, 4, 5, 6} AD is also one of the most prevalent skin disorders in children and one of the 50 most common diseases worldwide.^7,8

In more than 85% of children with AD, the disease begins before age five and can persist for years. It is a disease that children – and their families – may be forced to cope with in the long term.^{9, 10, 11, 12}

It's clear families with AD need more support and now is the time to act. That's why the 2021' Agents of Change' AD Challenge is focused on helping reduce the impact of AD on family life.

We're calling on people around the world to come up with ideas, big or small, to help support families dealing with the daily struggles of this complex chronic disease.

Our additional background information illustrates the challenges caregivers face to inspire you to come up with ideas that tackle one or more of the daily struggles, or offer a more general approach to support caregivers.

Process and timeline

Participation requirements

We firmly believe that a good idea can come from anyone, and anywhere around the world. However, we are unable to provide grant funding to individuals and think that the power of you - the community - can make submissions even more substantial.

We ask that individuals, or groups of individuals, submit their ideas in partnership with a non-profit organization, such as an advocacy group, community center, or a patient or professional organization.

So, if you have an idea, make sure to reach out to a local group so that you can co-create together from the start. Local groups can also reach out to individuals who might have submitted an idea but are still looking for a non-profit partner.

Individuals with an idea that they feel passionate about, but who may not know a non-profit organization to partner with, are encouraged to:

• Combine teams: Reach out to others in the HYVE Crowd community who may be joining the challenge and have already identified an organization to partner with.
• Research your local AD community: Most non-profit organizations either have websites or a social media presence so try reaching out that way and ask to speak to someone from the fundraising team. You may wish to consult the background information page.
• Share your ideas anyway: While grant support will only be provided to those who have partnered with a non-profit organization, we want to hear your ideas regardless. Our community management team may be able to help provide more information on non-profit organizations in your region that you may be able to partner with.

References

¹ Zuberbier T, Orlow SJ, Paller AS, Taïeb A, Allen R, Hernanz-Hermosa JM, Ocampo-Candiani J, Cox M, Langeraar J, Simon JC. Patient perspectives on the management of atopic dermatitis. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2006 Jul 1;118(1):226-32.

² Barbarot S, Silverberg JI, Gadkari A, Simpson EL, Weidinger S, Mina-Osorio P, Mnif T,Guillemin I, Fenton MC, Eckert L. The Family Impact of Atopic Dermatitis (AD) in Children Aged 6–11 Years: A Cross-Sectional Study in the United States (US), Canada, Europe, and Japan. American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting. Denver, CO, USA. 2020 Mar. Poster Abstract ID: 15021.

³ Schneider L, Tilles S, Lio P, Boguniewicz M, Beck L, LeBovidge J, Novak N, Bernstein D, Blessing-Moore J, Khan D, Lang D. Atopic dermatitis: a practice parameter update 2012. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2013 Feb 1;131(2):295-9.

⁴ Eichenfield LF, Tom WL, Chamlin SL, Feldman SR, Hanifin JM, Simpson EL, Berger TG, Bergman JN, Cohen DE, Cooper KD, Cordoro KM. Guidelines of care for the management of atopic dermatitis: section 1. Diagnosis and assessment of atopic dermatitis. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2014 Feb 1;70(2):338-51.

⁵ European Dermatology Forum. EDF-Guidelines for Treatment of Atopic Eczema (Atopic Dermatitis): Part I. 2018. [cited 2020 May]. Available from: https://www.edf.one/dam/jcr:c9218b68-8f7f-4349-9ecc-35560fa797a0/Atopic_Eczema_2018_GL.pdf. Accessed May 2021.

⁶ Gelmetti C, Wollenberg A. Atopic dermatitis–all you can do from the outside. British Journal of Dermatology. 2014 Jul;170:19-24.

⁷ Mortz CG, Andersen KE, Dellgren C, Barington T, Bindslev‐Jensen C. Atopic dermatitis from adolescence to adulthood in the TOACS cohort: prevalence, persistence and comorbidities. Allergy. 2015 Jul;70(7):836-45.

⁸ Hay RJ, Johns NE, Williams HC, Bolliger IW, Dellavalle RP, Margolis DJ, Marks R, Naldi L, Weinstock MA, Wulf SK, Michaud C. The global burden of skin disease in 2010: an analysis of the prevalence and impact of skin conditions. Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 2014 Jun 1;134(6):1527-34.

⁹ Huang E, Ong PY. Severe atopic dermatitis in children. Current allergy and asthma reports. 2018 Jun;18(6):35.

¹⁰ Shaw TE, Currie GP, Koudelka CW, Simpson EL. Eczema prevalence in the United States: data from the 2003 National Survey of Children's Health. Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 2011 Jan 1;131(1):67-73.

¹¹ Guttman-Yassky E, Nograles KE, Krueger JG. Contrasting pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis and psoriasis—part I: clinical and pathologic concepts. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2011 May 1;127(5):1110-8.

¹² Yang EJ, Beck KM, Sekhon S, Bhutani T, Koo J. The impact of pediatric atopic dermatitis on families: a review. Pediatric dermatology. 2019 Jan;36(1):66-71.

MAT-GLB-2102890 V1.0 | June 2021