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Alopecia, Atopic Dermatitis and Other Chronic Inflammatory Skin Diseases: Pathogenesis, Comorbidities, and Precision Management

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Dermatology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026 | Viewed by 1024

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Trinidad Montero-Vilchez

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Guest Editor
Dermatology Unit, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Granada, Spain
Interests: dermatology; atopic dermatitis; biomarkers; skin barrier
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Salvador Arias-Santiago

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Guest Editor
Dermatology Department, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Granada, Spain
Interests: psoriasis; alopecia; atopic dermatitis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Alopecia and atopic dermatitis (AD) are chronic, highly heterogeneous inflammatory disorders with substantial psychosocial burden and frequent overlap in immune dysregulation, barrier dysfunction, and comorbidity patterns. In addition, other chronic inflammatory skin conditions such as chronic urticaria, prurigo nodularis, and chronic pruritus share relevant pathogenic mechanisms and contribute significantly to disease burden and impaired quality of life. Despite rapid therapeutic progress, key gaps remain: defining clinically meaningful endotypes, identifying actionable biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment response, clarifying shared and distinct pathogenic pathways (including type 2 and non-type 2 inflammation), and generating real-world evidence to optimize long-term, personalized management. This Special Issue aims to synthesize current knowledge and accelerate translation into practice.

We welcome original research, reviews, and clinically focused perspectives addressing immune pathways and endotypes, skin barrier and inflammation, comorbidities and quality of life, biomarkers and treatment response, advanced therapies (biologics/JAK inhibitors), and real-world outcomes across these conditions. By bringing together clinical investigators, this collection seeks to help refine precision strategies and improve patient-centered care.

Dr. Trinidad Montero-Vilchez
Prof. Dr. Salvador Arias-Santiago
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • alopecia
  • atopic dermatitis
  • chronic urticaria
  • prurigo nodularis
  • chronic pruritus
  • inflammatory skin diseases
  • biomarkers
  • biologics
  • JAK inhibitors
  • quality of life
  • precision medicine

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 1767 KB  
Article
Retrospective Evaluation of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Incidence of Alopecia Areata in a Single Dermatological Department
by Łukasz Chętko, Julia Hofmann, Karolina Brzychcy, Marta Matych, Dorota Sobolewska-Sztychny, Marcin Noweta, Bartosz Zakrzewski, Małgorzata Dominiak, Joanna Narbutt and Aleksandra Lesiak
J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15(10), 3682; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15103682 - 11 May 2026
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Abstract
Background: Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by diverse patterns of non-scarring hair loss. Due to its susceptibility to immune dysregulation and psychological stress, there is growing speculation regarding the potential role of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the COVID-19 pandemic in its [...] Read more.
Background: Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by diverse patterns of non-scarring hair loss. Due to its susceptibility to immune dysregulation and psychological stress, there is growing speculation regarding the potential role of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the COVID-19 pandemic in its development, recurrence, or exacerbation. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate patients affected by AA from a single dermatological center, specifically focusing on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospitalization rates. Methods: Data comprising demographic characteristics, disease subtype, number, and duration of hospitalizations were digitized and statistically analyzed. The five-year period prior to the pandemic (2015–2019) was compared with the subsequent four years (2020–2023) to assess any changes. Results: The study involved 428 individuals (256 children and 172 adults), with a slight predominance of women (68.2%). The median ages in adults and children were 39.13 years and 8.66 years, respectively. Following the pandemic, there was a 13.81% decrease in the mean age among adult males. Hospitalizations surged by 207.62% after the pandemic, increasing from 223 to 686 admissions. Additionally, the diagnosis of alopecia areata totalis increased significantly by 55.6%. The residential distribution of pediatric patients also shifted notably, with 72.16% residing in urban areas and 27.84% in rural areas between 2020 and 2023. Conclusions: The significant increase in hospitalization rates and the diversity of disease subtypes observed in this study may suggest a potential correlation between COVID-19 and the development or altered course of alopecia areata. A deeper understanding of this association could enhance treatment outcomes in dermatology, ultimately improving patient care. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Alopecia, Atopic Dermatitis and Other Chronic Inflammatory Skin Diseases: Pathogenesis, Comorbidities, and Precision Management)
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12 pages, 783 KB  
Article
Smartwatch-Derived Nocturnal Scratching Metrics Capture Disease Activity and Severity in Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis
by Fumiko Iwai, Takahiro Nishida, Rei Kanai, Tomoyuki Arima, Takafumi Takase, Shingo Yamada, Mizuho Nagao, Shigeru Suga, Hitoki Kubota, Kazuaki Okamoto, Akihiko Ikoma and Takao Fujisawa
J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15(9), 3380; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15093380 - 28 Apr 2026
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: The itch–scratch cycle is a key driver of exacerbation in atopic dermatitis (AD) and requires objective monitoring, yet patient-reported itch scores are often unreliable in children. This study aimed to evaluate smartwatch-derived nocturnal scratching metrics as digital biomarkers of disease activity [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: The itch–scratch cycle is a key driver of exacerbation in atopic dermatitis (AD) and requires objective monitoring, yet patient-reported itch scores are often unreliable in children. This study aimed to evaluate smartwatch-derived nocturnal scratching metrics as digital biomarkers of disease activity and treatment response in pediatric AD. Methods: In this prospective observational study, 50 children (median age 9 years) with physician-diagnosed AD wore an Apple Watch with the Itch Tracker application for 5–14 nights during initiation of topical therapy. Three scratch metrics—scratch count rate (SCR), scratch duration ratio (SDR), and scratch burden index (SBI, duration × intensity)—were analyzed. Associations with clinical outcomes [Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI), Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM)], serum thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC), and itch numerical rating scale (NRS) were examined. Logistic regression models were evaluated to examine whether these metrics could identify children who achieved clinically meaningful improvement, defined as EASI-50 plus ≥ 4-point POEM reduction. Results: All scratch metrics correlated with baseline EASI (r = 0.60–0.64, p < 0.001) and serum TARC (r = 0.58–0.60, p < 0.001). Reductions in scratching paralleled clinical improvement (r = 0.67–0.71, p < 0.0001). Among models, the SBI-based logistic regression demonstrated the best discriminative performance (AUC = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.64–0.92). Conclusions: Wearable-derived nocturnal scratching metrics showed moderate but consistent associations with disease severity and short-term improvement. Although predictive capability remains to be established, these metrics may serve as treatment-responsive digital measures. Given the cross-sectional nature of biomarker analyses and other study limitations, further prospective validation is required before clinical application in real-world pediatric AD monitoring. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Alopecia, Atopic Dermatitis and Other Chronic Inflammatory Skin Diseases: Pathogenesis, Comorbidities, and Precision Management)
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