Nationwide Seborrheic Dermatitis Survey Shows Burdensome and Lengthy Path to Diagnosis

• Findings presented at the annual Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference
• Survey found that path to diagnosis for people with seborrheic dermatitis (average of 3.6 years) substantially longer than estimated by physicians (average of 1.5 years)
• Prior to diagnosis, 71% of individuals with seborrheic dermatitis said they had not heard of the disease and 56% found it hard to find information online
• Nearly 9 in 10 individuals with seborrheic dermatitis wished they had known that there were specific symptoms to identify seborrheic dermatitis

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Oct. 21, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --  (Nasdaq: ARQT), an early-stage commercial company focused on developing meaningful innovations in immuno-dermatology, today announced results of a nationwide survey of adults with seborrheic dermatitis and the healthcare providers who treat them that highlights the long path to diagnosis and the general lack of awareness and education about the disease. The results were presented as a poster at the 2022 Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. The online survey was conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Arcutis and included 300 U.S. adults (18+ years of age) who had been diagnosed with seborrheic dermatitis by a healthcare provider, of which 84% reported their current condition to be moderate or severe, and 601 licensed U.S. healthcare providers specializing in dermatology, including dermatologists, nurse practitioners (NPs), and physician assistants (PAs).

The survey found that individuals with seborrheic dermatitis often experienced a long and burdensome path to diagnosis, reporting an average of 3.6 years from symptom onset to seeking care, although patients reporting severe disease sought care within 1 year of symptom onset. In contrast, healthcare providers underestimated the time it takes for people with seborrheic dermatitis to receive a diagnosis, reporting an average of just 1.5 years. These findings suggest that individuals delay seeking care despite experiencing symptoms. In addition, prior to diagnosis, 63% of individuals didn’t think their symptoms were severe enough to warrant medical attention.

“It’s staggering to see that there is a two-year difference in what healthcare professionals believe the path to diagnosis is, compared to the lengthy and frustrating journey that individuals with seborrheic dermatitis actually experience,” said Raj Chovatiya, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Dermatology and Director of the Center for Eczema and Itch at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “As clinicians, it’s important for us to recognize that the patient journey often starts long before the decision to seek care, as individuals often do not fully understand the scope and severity of their disease.”

According to the survey, individuals with seborrheic dermatitis lacked awareness and education about the disease prior to diagnosis. Specifically, 71% said that they had not heard of seborrheic dermatitis and 56% found it hard to find information online about the disease. In addition, most (83%) individuals did not realize all their symptoms (e.g., itching, flaking, redness on the face, body, scalp etc.) were due to seborrheic dermatitis, and 76% mistook their symptoms for another skin condition. Almost all (90%) individuals wished they had known that there were specific symptoms to identify seborrheic dermatitis. Additionally, many individuals with seborrheic dermatitis reported that they were embarrassed to talk to family or friends (59%) and healthcare providers (58%) about symptoms.

“The social stigma behind skin conditions that cause visible symptoms like flaking and redness can create real and perceived barriers to diagnosis and care,” said Frank Watanabe, President and Chief Executive Officer, Arcutis. “By providing more education and resources, we can help address the stigma and embarrassment that are often associated with seborrheic dermatitis, help reduce the time from symptom onset to diagnosis, and ultimately help to improve the care of those living with the condition.”

Seborrheic dermatitis affects more than 10 million people in the U.S., and is a common, chronic or recurrent inflammatory skin disease that causes red patches covered with large, greasy, flaking yellow-gray scales, and persistent itch.

Arcutis previously in May 2022, and anticipate future data analyses to continue throughout 2023.

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About the Survey

The patient survey was conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of Arcutis Biotherapeutics among 300 U.S. adults 18+ years of age who have been diagnosed with seborrheic dermatitis by a healthcare provider (including an oversample to reach 60 who are Black/African American). The survey was conducted December 14, 2021 through January 19, 2022. Figures for age, sex, education, race/ethnicity, region, income, household size, and marital status were weighted where necessary to bring the data into line with actual proportions in the population. Black/African American patients were balanced back to natural fall out among the qualified patients. A propensity score variable was also included to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.

The HCP survey was conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of Arcutis Biotherapeutics among 601 HCPs (including dermatologists, NPs, and PAs) specializing in dermatology who see at least 1 patient per week and regularly see 1+ patients with seborrheic dermatitis per year. The survey was conducted December 16, 2021 through January 19, 2022. For Dermatologists, figures for years in practice, gender, and region were weighted where necessary to bring the data into line with actual proportions in the population. For NP/PAs, raw data were not weighted and are therefore only representative of the individuals who completed the survey.

About Arcutis

Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARQT) is a medical dermatology company that champions meaningful innovation to address the urgent needs of patients living with immune-mediated dermatological diseases and conditions. With a commitment to solving the most persistent patient challenges in dermatology, Arcutis harnesses our unique dermatology development platform coupled with our dermatology expertise to build differentiated therapies against biologically validated targets. Arcutis’ dermatology development platform includes a robust pipeline with multiple clinical programs for a range of inflammatory dermatological conditions including scalp and body psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and seborrheic dermatitis. For more information, visit  or follow Arcutis on , , and .

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