Stasis dermatitis: A challenging patient journey

Abstract

Stasis dermatitis (SD) is a chronic inflammatory dermatosis that typically presents with nonspecific signs and symptoms such as pruritic and xerotic skin, aching legs, and areas of dyspigmentation (red or brown in lighter skin tones and brown, purple, gray, or ashen in darker skin tones). These signs and symptoms are often misdiagnosed as other conditions, such as cellulitis. Moreover, within healthcare systems, SD is often overlooked due to a lack of understanding of the magnitude and impact of the condition, as well as incomplete recognition of the various presenting clinical manifestations. Inadequate or inappropriate management may lead to disease progression, including worsening edema, pain, and itch as well as complications such as venous leg ulcers. When patients do seek medical attention (often upon worsening of the condition), a diagnosis of SD is often challenging because of physician lack of expertise and the plethora of disorders that may manifest similarly to SD. Furthermore, upon diagnosis, evidence‐based treatment options are limited, and adherence to SD treatment regimens is often low. SD significantly impacts patient and caregiver quality of life (QoL), with far‐reaching psychosocial and socioeconomic effects. In this review, we describe the patient journey associated with SD and the challenges associated with diagnosis, the burden of disease and impact on patient QoL, and the unmet needs that remain with current therapeutic options.