How might we help people living with atopic dermatitis and those around them navigate the daily uncertainty of their condition, including its unpredictable and often severe symptoms?

Atopic dermatitis (AD) affects as many as 1 in 10 people around the world, making it one of the most common skin conditions [1],[2],[3]. The unpredictable nature of this chronic inflammatory disease means persistent symptoms – including itch, skin dryness, flaking, cracking, bleeding and oozing – may suddenly worsen [4]. Particularly for those with more severe forms, AD can cause substantial disruption to everyday life – from the physical discomfort, to the emotional toll it can take [4],[5].

Not knowing if you’ll feel able to face the day when you wake up in the morning requires patience and flexibility from people living with AD, but also from those they engage with. 

People living with AD and those close to them are all too aware of the impact that moderate-to-severe AD can have—on sleep, mood, work, school, socializing, relationships, and other everyday activities [5],[6]. It goes far beyond what you can see – both in terms of the underlying cause of the unpredictable physical symptoms and in the feelings of anxiety and isolation that can accompany them [5]. This challenge is about creative ways to help people living with AD navigate the daily uncertainty of their disease. 

Friends, coworkers, classmates and others may struggle to understand what it means to live with a disease that can flare-up without warning [1],[2] – and why their colleague may not be able to attend an important presentation, their friend may be non-committal about a trip to the beach, or their student may be less prepared for a test. And so, this challenge is also about creative ways to help others understand, empathize with and better support the uncertainty people with AD face. 

Last year, the ‘Agents of Change’ AD Challenge focused on helping break social stigma to put a stop to the bullying faced by those with AD. This year we’re calling upon all of you—the AD community, health innovators, and everyone around the world who has ever lived with day-to-day unpredictability—to submit your ideas. 

Let’s find creative ways to help people with AD navigate the daily impact of this unpredictable disease, and enable those around them to better understand and support them, too.