April 22, 2020 – Under the direction of Kelly Cordoro, MD of the University of California, San Francisco the Pediatric Dermatology COVID-19 Response Task Force (PDCRTF) has published a guidance manuscript on the use of systemic immunosuppressive therapies for inflammatory skin diseases in children. Available on-line in the journal Pediatric Dermatology, the manuscript presents consensus-based recommendations assembled using a survey that completed by 37 experts in the field.
With this manuscript, the PDCRTF addresses a variety of clinical scenarios, including treatment of patients with no symptoms, upper-respiratory infections without a COVID-19 diagnosis, confirmed COVID-19 exposure, and confirmed COVID-19 diagnoses. It is hoped that the paper can help inform health care providers and families making decisions to initiate or continue use of systemic oral and biologic medications for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases in children including psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and alopecia areata. It also addresses issues facing front-line health care providers like lab monitoring and methods of communicating with patients and families.
Visit the COVID-19 Information Page for other resources to support pediatric dermatologists, patients, and families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Explore the PeDRA Publication Page for more on each of PeDRA’s peer-reviewed publications.