Management of atopic dermatitis in adolescents and adults in South Africa.

OBJECTIVE: The guidelines for the management of atopic dermatitis in patients older than 18 years have been developed in an attempt to improve the outcomes of treatment of this condition in South Africa. This condition has a major impact on the quality of life of sufferers and it is expected that these guidelines, if implemented, will play a role in achieving this. RECOMMENDATIONS: All health care workers involved in the management of atopic dermatitis should take note of these guidelines and try to implement them in clinical practice as far as possible. All treatment methods and procedures not substantiated by evidence from the literature should be discontinued and avoided to decrease the financial burden of dermatitis treatment. VALIDATION: These guidelines were developed through general consensus by a group of five South African dermatologists, from evidence based on extensive literature review. Draft documents were made available for comment to the dermatology community as a whole, via the official website of the Dermatological Society of South Africa. They were also presented and discussed at the annual congress of the Dermatological Society of South Africa. All input from these sources, where appropriate, were then incorporated into these guidelines.