Effectiveness of inpatient treatment on quality of life and clinical disease severity in atopic dermatitis and psoriasis vulgaris - a prospective study.

BACKGROUND Financial constraints challenge evidence of the effectiveness of dermatological inpatient management. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of hospitalization in atopic dermatitis and psoriasis regarding initial and sustained benefits. METHODS Prospective study on adults with psoriasis vulgaris (n = 22) and atopic dermatitis (n = 14). At admission, discharge, and 3 months after discharge, validated outcomes of objective and subjective disease severity were assessed by trained investigators. RESULTS Hospitalization resulted in substantial benefit in quality of life and clinical disease severity. Looking at mean scores, the observed benefit appeared stable until 3-month follow-up. The analysis of individual patient data revealed significant changes in disease severity between discharge and 3-month follow-up with some patients relapsing, others further improving. Reasons for hospitalization and treatment performed were not related to sustained benefit. CONCLUSIONS In psoriasis vulgaris and atopic dermatitis, hospitalization effectively improved quality of life and clinical disease severity. Further research should focus on prognostic factors for sustained improvement.