Higher Levels of Immunoglobulin E and Thymus and Activation-Regulated Chemokine Are Associated with Conjunctivitis During Lebrikizumab Treatment in Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Atopic Dermatitis

<u><b><i></i></b></u> <u><b><i>Background:</i></b></u> Treatment with anti-interleukin (IL)-13 antibody lebrikizumab is sometimes associated with the occurrence of conjunctivitis in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). However, predictive factors for its occurrence are unknown.<u><b><i>Objective:</i></b></u> To identify predictive factors for the occurrence of conjunctivitis during lebrikizumab treatment for AD.<u><b><i>Methods:</i></b></u> A prospective study was conducted in 140 Japanese patients with moderate-to-severe AD who received lebrikizumab 500 mg at weeks 0 and 2, followed by 250 mg every 2 weeks until week 16, thereafter every 4 weeks for median 24 (ranging 12-36) weeks. We compared baseline clinical and laboratory indices, and background factors between patients who developed conjunctivitis and those who did not.<u><b><i>Results:</i></b></u> Conjunctivitis occurred in 20 patients (14.3%) during lebrikizumab treatment. Patients with conjunctivitis had significantly higher immunoglobulin E (IgE) and thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) compared to those without. Logistic regression analysis showed that the occurrence of conjunctivitis was associated with higher IgE (odds ratio [OR]: 1, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.0-1.0, <i>P</i> = 0.0287) and TARC (OR: 1, 95% CI: 1.0-1.0, <i>P</i> = 0.0441).<u><b><i>Conclusions:</i></b></u> Higher IgE and TARC may predict conjunctivitis during lebrikizumab treatment for AD.