Peer-reviewed article
Dupilumab for the treatment of eczema molluscatum: A pediatric case report and systematic literature review.
Obermeier PE, Puzich U, Brinkmann A, Schrick L, Mühlendyck A ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This is a medical case report and literature review about dupilumab, a drug used to treat atopic dermatitis in children and adults. The report describes one 4-year-old child with a severe skin condition involving molluscum contagiosum virus infection that improved with dupilumab treatment. The authors reviewed existing literature and found nine other cases (mostly adults) with similar findings.
Key points
- A 4-year-old child with severe eczema molluscatum showed rapid symptom resolution after dupilumab treatment
- The literature review identified nine adult patients (mean age 40 years) treated with dupilumab for similar conditions
- In five adult patients, symptoms temporarily worsened before improving
- No adverse events were reported in the pediatric case
- This is the first published case of dupilumab use in a child with this condition
Limitations
This report focuses on a rare dermatological condition affecting a small number of children. It does not provide evidence about broader child health outcomes or development, and consists primarily of case descriptions rather than controlled research.
Abstract
Atopic dermatitis (AD) may be complicated by disseminated molluscum contagiosum virus (MOCV) infection, known as eczema molluscatum (EM), particularly in children. Topical treatments are not always effective, and although modern systemic immunomodulatory therapies for AD, including use in early childhood, are available, their impact on co-occurring MCV infection is not well documented. We present a 4-year-old child with severe EM that was refractory to conventional topical therapy. She was treated with dupilumab (300 mg subcutaneously every four weeks), which led to a rapid resolution of symptoms and clinical clearance of MOCV-1 infection without adverse events. To contextualize our findings, we performed a systematic literature review, including PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Google Scholar, to identify published case descriptions of dupilumab use with co-occurring MOCV infection (PROSPERO ID CRD420251106639). We identified a total of six publications reporting on nine adult patients (mean age: 40 years, range: 21-58 years, 8/9 male). In five of these patients, EM temporarily flared up before resolution. The present report is the first of a child. Our findings, along with existing reports, suggest that dupilumab may be a safe and effective treatment option for AD patients with MOCV infection. Prospective evaluation using standardized outcome measures is warranted.