OBJECTIVES: To identify and review published utility estimates in atopic dermatitis (AD), and to catalogue the methods of utility assessment, patient populations studied, and economic evaluations incorporating the utility estimates.
METHODS: A systematic search and review of the published literature, including health technology assessments, in AD was performed. Utility search terms were those recommended by NICE in the UK Publications were limited to English language only, from 1999 through 2010.
RESULTS: Fourteen studies presenting 15 different sets of utility data in AD (one study used two separate methods to generate estimates) were identified. These 14 studies are summarized in 11 separate publications (one health technology assessment describes three otherwise unpublished utility studies). All studies but one present utility estimates (vs changes in utility). Two studies present a single utility estimate for AD. One study presents utility estimates for controlled vs uncontrolled AD. All other studies present utility estimates by AD severity (e.g., clear, mild, moderate, severe), although only two studies link AD severity directly to IGA scores. Two studies present utility estimates for children. AD utilities have been collected or applied in economic evaluations in Canada, Germany, Sweden, the UK, and the US. Utilities in AD have been collected directly using SG, TTO, VAS (with the VAS results being converted into utilities for use in economic evaluations using an algorithm that reflects attitudes towards risk), and using the EQ5D. Three studies have generated utility estimates based on applying two separate published algorithms to SF-12 or SF6D data. Five sets of utility data have been used in economic evaluations.
CONCLUSIONS: There are several published studies presenting utility estimates in AD; however, they vary greatly in terms of methods employed. Economic evaluations in AD, the results of which are sensitive to uncertainty in utility inputs, have relied on various estimates.
