Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40241901›Full record

SynthesisFrontiers in medicine2025

Incidence of upper respiratory tract infections with biological therapies in moderate to severe atopic dermatitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Rose Alraddadi, Mulham Kalantan, Yara Aljefri, Hadeel Maaddawi, Abdulrahman Alsamadani, Athoub Kadasa, Abdulrahman Softah, Baraa Tabbakh, Rahaf Alturkistani, Abdulhadi Jfri

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Frontiers in medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Rose AlraddadiCollege of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Mulham KalantanCollege of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Yara AljefriCollege of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Hadeel MaaddawiDepartment of Dermatology, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Abdulrahman AlsamadaniCollege of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Athoub KadasaCollege of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Abdulrahman SoftahCollege of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Baraa TabbakhCollege of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Rahaf AlturkistaniDivision of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Ministry of the National Guard-Health Affairs, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Abdulhadi JfriCollege of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin condition affecting 5%-20% of children and 2%-10% of adults worldwide. Treatment for moderate-to-severe AD includes biologics like dupilumab, tralokinumab, lebrikizumab, and JAK inhibitors (abrocitinib, upadacitinib). However, upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are commonly reported adverse events for these therapies. This meta-analysis aims to estimate the pooled incidence of URTIs associated with these treatments compared to topicals. Methods: A systematic search was conducted across PubMed, MEDLINE, DOAJ, and ClinicalTrials.gov for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving AD patients treated with dupilumab, tralokinumab, lebrikizumab, abrocitinib, or upadacitinib, excluding studies of patients treated with topicals, Studies on other dermatitis types and biologics. Data on URTI events, sample sizes, and incidence were extracted. Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool (RoB 2). A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted using the Netmeta package in R, calculating odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: From 413 retrieved records, 21 studies met the inclusion criteria. URTI incidence of the treatment group in the included studies ranged from 0.35% to 41.5%, while control groups showed rates between 0% and 40%. Across all studies, URTI incidence was 9.70% in intervention groups and 8.03% in placebo groups (MH OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 0.98-1.42). Heterogeneity was low ( Conclusion: While URTIs are common adverse events for AD therapies, their incidence in intervention groups is similar to control, suggesting no significant increase in risk. These findings provide critical insights for clinicians in balancing efficacy and safety when selecting therapies for AD patients. Further research should explore patient-specific risk factors for URTIs. Systematic review registration: Prospero registration code: [392093]. PROSPERO, Centre for Reviews and Dissemination: CRD42023392093.

Indexed as

abrocitinibatopic dermatitisbiologicsdupilumabIL13 inhibitorsIL4/13 inhibitorlebrikizumabtralokinumab

Identifiers

PMID40241901
PMCPMC12000152

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.