Achieving long-term control in atopic dermatitis: emerging concepts, definitions, flares and therapy
(2025)
Journal Article
Williams, H. C., Simpson, E. L., Langan, S. M., Roberts, A., & Thomas, K. S. (online). Achieving long-term control in atopic dermatitis: emerging concepts, definitions, flares and therapy. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaip.2025.02.013
Professor HYWEL WILLIAMS's Outputs (185)
Evidence to practice – lessons learnt in developing an implementation strategy for an online digital health intervention (Eczema Care Online) (2025)
Journal Article
Howells, L., Thomas, K. S., Santer, M., Muller, I., Greenwell, K., Roberts, A., Williams, H. C., Harvey, J., Lax, S. J., Rogers, N. K., Sach, T. H., Lawton, S., Steele, M., Sivyer, K., Hooper, J., Ahmed, A., Wilczynska, S., Langan, S., & Leighton, P. (2025). Evidence to practice – lessons learnt in developing an implementation strategy for an online digital health intervention (Eczema Care Online). BMC Health Services Research, 25(1), Article 187. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-12179-2Background
Eczema Care Online (www.EczemaCareOnline.org.uk/) is an online self-management toolkit which includes tailored content for young people (13–25 years) and for parents of children that have eczema (0–12 years). Testing in two randomised con... Read More about Evidence to practice – lessons learnt in developing an implementation strategy for an online digital health intervention (Eczema Care Online).
Practicality, Validity, and Responsiveness of Using the Proxy Version of the Child Health Utility–9 Dimensions With Children Aged 2 to 5 Years (2024)
Journal Article
Sach, T. H., Williams, H. C., Allen, H., Boyle, R., Kelleher, M., Brown, S., Cork, M., Flohr, C., Jay, N., Lartey, S., Davies, C., Lawton, S., Perkin, M., Ridd, M., Brooks, J., Tarr, S., Wyatt, L., & Thomas, K. (2024). Practicality, Validity, and Responsiveness of Using the Proxy Version of the Child Health Utility–9 Dimensions With Children Aged 2 to 5 Years. Value in Health, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jval.2024.08.010
Objectives
To assess the practicality, validity and responsiveness of proxy CHU-9D in children aged 2-5 years.
Methods
We used data from BEEP, a UK randomised co... Read More about Practicality, Validity, and Responsiveness of Using the Proxy Version of the Child Health Utility–9 Dimensions With Children Aged 2 to 5 Years.
How to review a submitted dermatology manuscript (2024)
Journal Article
Gavin Fong, W. C., & Williams, H. C. (2025). How to review a submitted dermatology manuscript. Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 50(3), 635-638. https://doi.org/10.1093/ced/llae371Although much has been written about peer review science, practical advice on HOW to peer review articles is lacking, especially for Dermatology. This article aims to provide a practical, stepwise framework to support new reviewers. Step 1 involves a... Read More about How to review a submitted dermatology manuscript.
Topical anti-inflammatory treatments for eczema: a Cochrane systematic review and network meta-analysis (2024)
Journal Article
Lax, S. J., Van Vogt, E., Candy, B., Steele, L., Reynolds, C., Stuart, B., Parker, R., Axon, E., Roberts, A., Doyle, M., Chu, D. K., Futamura, M., Santer, M., Williams, H. C., Cro, S., Drucker, A. M., & Boyle, R. J. (2024). Topical anti-inflammatory treatments for eczema: a Cochrane systematic review and network meta-analysis. Clinical and Experimental Allergy, 54(12), 960-972. https://doi.org/10.1111/cea.14556Objective: Eczema is the most burdensome skin condition worldwide and topical anti-inflammatory treatments are commonly used to control symptoms. The relative effectiveness and safety of different topical anti-inflammatory treatments is uncertain. De... Read More about Topical anti-inflammatory treatments for eczema: a Cochrane systematic review and network meta-analysis.
Topical anti-inflammatory treatments for eczema: network meta-analysis (2024)
Journal Article
Lax, S. J., Van Vogt, E., Candy, B., Steele, L., Reynolds, C., Stuart, B., Parker, R., Axon, E., Roberts, A., Doyle, M., Chu, D. K., Futamura, M., Santer, M., Williams, H. C., Cro, S., Drucker, A. M., & Boyle, R. J. (2024). Topical anti-inflammatory treatments for eczema: network meta-analysis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2024(8), Article CD015064. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD015064.pub2BackgroundEczema (atopic dermatitis) is the most burdensome skin condition worldwide and cannot currently be prevented or cured. Topical anti-inflammatory treatments are used to control eczema symptoms, but there is uncertainty about the relative eff... Read More about Topical anti-inflammatory treatments for eczema: network meta-analysis.
Long list of conflicts of interest in industry-funded drug trials are counterproductive and opaque for readers (2024)
Journal Article
Leducq, S., Barlow, R., Baker, A., Swiderski, M., & Williams, H. C. (2024). Long list of conflicts of interest in industry-funded drug trials are counterproductive and opaque for readers. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 174, Article 111491. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2024.111491
Emollient application from birth to prevent eczema in high-risk children: the BEEP RCT (2024)
Journal Article
Wyatt, L. A., Bradshaw, L. E., Brown, S. J., Haines, R. H., Montgomery, A. A., Perkin, M. R., Sach, T. H., Lawton, S., Flohr, C., Ridd, M. J., Chalmers, J. R., Brooks, J., Swinden, R., Mitchell, E. J., Tarr, S., Jay, N., Thomas, K. S., Allen, H., Cork, M. J., Kelleher, M. M., …Williams, H. C. (2024). Emollient application from birth to prevent eczema in high-risk children: the BEEP RCT. Health Technology Assessment, 28(29), 1-116. https://doi.org/10.3310/rhdn9613Background
Atopic eczema is a common childhood skin problem linked with asthma, food allergy and allergic rhinitis that impairs quality of life.
Objectives
To determine whether advising parents to apply daily emollients in the first year can... Read More about Emollient application from birth to prevent eczema in high-risk children: the BEEP RCT.
Prevalence and risk factors for milk allergy overdiagnosis in the BEEP trial cohort (2024)
Journal Article
Allen, H. I., Wing, O., Milkova, D., Jackson, E., Li, K., Bradshaw, L. E., Wyatt, L., Haines, R., Santer, M., Murphy, A. W., Brown, S. J., Kelleher, M., Perkin, M. R., Jay, N., Smith, T. D. H., Moriarty, F., Montgomery, A. A., Williams, H. C., & Boyle, R. J. (2025). Prevalence and risk factors for milk allergy overdiagnosis in the BEEP trial cohort. Allergy, 80(1), 148-160. https://doi.org/10.1111/all.16203Background: Cow's milk allergy (CMA) overdiagnosis in young children appears to be increasing and has not been well characterised. We used a clinical trial population to characterise CMA overdiagnosis and identify individual‐level and primary care pr... Read More about Prevalence and risk factors for milk allergy overdiagnosis in the BEEP trial cohort.
A multifaceted and standardized approach is needed to improve acne severity assessment in clinical practice: an online survey of UK health professionals (2024)
Journal Article
Masterson, N., Burden-Teh, E., Healy, E., Hepburn, T., Layfield, C., Layton, A., Leighton, P., Leng, S., Mitchell, E., Northover, G., Penzer-Hick, R., Price, W., Radley, K., Ramesh, G., Ravenscroft, J. C., Sach, T., Sadiq, S., Santer, M., Thomas, K. S., Thompson, A., …the Acne-ID Trial Development Team. (2025). A multifaceted and standardized approach is needed to improve acne severity assessment in clinical practice: an online survey of UK health professionals. Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 50(1), 158-160. https://doi.org/10.1093/ced/llae180
Diagnostic accuracy of autofluorescence-Raman microspectroscopy for surgical margin assessment during Mohs micrographic surgery of basal cell carcinoma (2024)
Journal Article
Boitor, R. A., Varma, S., Sharma, A., Odedra, S., Elsheikh, S., Eldib, K., Patel, A., Koloydenko, A., Gran, S., De Winne, K., Koljenovic, S., Williams, H. C., & Notingher, I. (2024). Diagnostic accuracy of autofluorescence-Raman microspectroscopy for surgical margin assessment during Mohs micrographic surgery of basal cell carcinoma. British Journal of Dermatology, 191(3), 428-436. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjd/ljae196Background
Autofluorescence (AF)–Raman microspectroscopy is a technology that can detect residual basal cell carcinoma (BCC) on the resection margin of fresh, surgically excised tissue specimens. The technology does not require tissue fixation, st... Read More about Diagnostic accuracy of autofluorescence-Raman microspectroscopy for surgical margin assessment during Mohs micrographic surgery of basal cell carcinoma.
Discontinuation of anti-tumour necrosis factor alpha treatment owing to blood test abnormalities, and cost-effectiveness of alternate blood monitoring strategies (2024)
Journal Article
Abhishek, A., Stevenson, M. D., Nakafero, G., Grainge, M. J., Evans, I., Alabas, O., Card, T., Taal, M. W., Aithal, G. P., Fox, C. P., Mallen, C. D., van der Windt, D. A., Riley, R. D., Warren, R. B., & Williams, H. C. (2024). Discontinuation of anti-tumour necrosis factor alpha treatment owing to blood test abnormalities, and cost-effectiveness of alternate blood monitoring strategies. British Journal of Dermatology, 190(4), 559-564. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjd/ljad430Background: There is no evidence base to support the use of 6-monthly monitoring blood tests for the early detection of liver, blood and renal toxicity during established anti-tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) treatment. Objectives: To evaluate the... Read More about Discontinuation of anti-tumour necrosis factor alpha treatment owing to blood test abnormalities, and cost-effectiveness of alternate blood monitoring strategies.
Patient and health professional views on risk-stratified monitoring of immune-suppressing treatment in adults with inflammatory diseases (2024)
Journal Article
Fuller, A., Hancox, J., Williams, H. C., Card, T., Taal, M. W., Aithal, G. P., Fox, C. P., Mallen, C. D., Maxwell, J. R., Bingham, S., Vedhara, K., & Abhishek, A. (2025). Patient and health professional views on risk-stratified monitoring of immune-suppressing treatment in adults with inflammatory diseases. Rheumatology, 64(3), 969-975. https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/keae175Objective
To explore the acceptability of an individualized risk-stratified approach to monitoring for target-organ toxicity in adult patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases established on immune-suppressing treatment(s).
Methods
Ad... Read More about Patient and health professional views on risk-stratified monitoring of immune-suppressing treatment in adults with inflammatory diseases.
Commentary: A comparative randomized clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of tacrolimus versus hydrocortisone as a topical treatment of atopic dermatitis in children (2024)
Journal Article
Harvey, J., Stuart, B., & Williams, H. C. (2024). Commentary: A comparative randomized clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of tacrolimus versus hydrocortisone as a topical treatment of atopic dermatitis in children. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 15, Article 1372259. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2024.1372259
Risk-stratified monitoring for sulfasalazine toxicity: prognostic model development and validation (2024)
Journal Article
Abhishek, A., Grainge, M., Card, T., Williams, H. C., Taal, M. W., Aithal, G. P., Fox, C. P., Mallen, C. D., Stevenson, M. D., Nakafero, G., & Riley, R. (2024). Risk-stratified monitoring for sulfasalazine toxicity: prognostic model development and validation. RMD Open, 10(1), Article e003980. https://doi.org/10.1136/rmdopen-2023-003980Background Sulfasalazine-induced cytopenia, nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity is uncommon during long-term treatment. Some guidelines recommend 3 monthly monitoring blood tests indefinitely during long-term treatment while others recommend stopping m... Read More about Risk-stratified monitoring for sulfasalazine toxicity: prognostic model development and validation.
Cost-effectiveness of two online interventions supporting self-care for eczema for parents/carers and young people (2024)
Journal Article
Sach, T. H., Onoja, M., Clarke, H., Santer, M., Muller, I., Becque, T., Stuart, B., Hooper, J., Steele, M., Wilczynska, S., Ridd, M. J., Roberts, A., Ahmed, A., Yardley, L., Little, P., Greenwell, K., Sivyer, K., Nuttall, J., Griffiths, G., Lawton, S., …Thomas, K. S. (2024). Cost-effectiveness of two online interventions supporting self-care for eczema for parents/carers and young people. European Journal of Health Economics, 25(7), 1165–1176. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-023-01649-9Objective: To estimate the cost-effectiveness of online behavioral interventions (EczemaCareOnline.org.uk) designed to support eczema self-care management for parents/carers and young people from an NHS perspective. Methods: Two within-trial economic... Read More about Cost-effectiveness of two online interventions supporting self-care for eczema for parents/carers and young people.
How to use the Harmonising Outcome Measures for Eczema Core Outcome Set for atopic dermatitis trials: a users’ guide (2023)
Journal Article
Thomas, K. S., Howells, L., Leshem, Y. A., Simpson, E. L., Apfelbacher, C., Spuls, P. I., Gerbens, L. A. A., Jacobson, M. E., Katoh, N., Williams, H. C., & Stuart, B. L. (2024). How to use the Harmonising Outcome Measures for Eczema Core Outcome Set for atopic dermatitis trials: a users’ guide. British Journal of Dermatology, 190(4), 527-535. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjd/ljad497Background
The Harmonising Outcome Measures for Eczema (HOME) initiative has agreed upon the Core Outcome Set (COS) for use in atopic dermatitis (AD) clinical trials, but additional guidance is needed to maximize its uptake.
Objectives
To provid... Read More about How to use the Harmonising Outcome Measures for Eczema Core Outcome Set for atopic dermatitis trials: a users’ guide.
Risk-stratified monitoring for sulfasalazine toxicity: prognostic model development and validation (2023)
Preprint / Working Paper
Abhishek, A., Grainge, M. J., Card, T., Williams, H. C., Taal, M. W., Aithal, G. P., Fox, C. P., Mallen, C. D., Stevenson, M. D., Nakafero, G., & Riley, R. D. Risk-stratified monitoring for sulfasalazine toxicity: prognostic model development and validationBackground Sulfasalazine induced cytopenia, nephrotoxicity, and hepatotoxicity is uncommon during long-term treatment. Some guidelines recommend three monthly monitoring blood-tests indefinitely while others recommend stopping monitoring after one ye... Read More about Risk-stratified monitoring for sulfasalazine toxicity: prognostic model development and validation.
Ex vivo assessment of basal cell carcinoma surgical margins in Mohs surgery by autofluorescence-Raman spectroscopy: A pilot study (2023)
Journal Article
Boitor, R., Varma, S., Sharma, A., Elsheikh, S., Kulkarni, K., Eldib, K., Jerrom, R., Odedra, S., Patel, A., Koloydenko, A., Williams, H., & Notingher, I. (2024). Ex vivo assessment of basal cell carcinoma surgical margins in Mohs surgery by autofluorescence-Raman spectroscopy: A pilot study. JEADV Clinical Practice, 3(2), 498-507. https://doi.org/10.1002/jvc2.336Background: Autofluorescence (AF)‐Raman spectroscopy is a technology that can detect tumour tissue in surgically excised skin specimens. The technique does not require tissue fixation, staining, labelling or sectioning, and provides quantitative diag... Read More about Ex vivo assessment of basal cell carcinoma surgical margins in Mohs surgery by autofluorescence-Raman spectroscopy: A pilot study.
Two-week break in methotrexate treatment and COVID-19 vaccine response: a prospective, open label, two-arm parallel-group, multicentre, superiority, randomised controlled trial (2023)
Journal Article
Abhishek, A., Peckham, N., Pade, C., Gibbons, J. M., Cureton, L., Francis, A., Barber, V., Williams, J. A. E., Appelbe, D., Eldridge, L., Julier, P., Altmann, D. M., Bluett, J., Brooks, T., Coates, L. C., Rombach, I., Semper, A., Otter, A., Valdes, A. M., Nguyen-Van-Tam, J. S., …Study investigators, V. (2024). Two-week break in methotrexate treatment and COVID-19 vaccine response: a prospective, open label, two-arm parallel-group, multicentre, superiority, randomised controlled trial. The Lancet Rheumatology, 6(2), E92-E104. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2665-9913%2823%2900298-9Background
Methotrexate is the first-line treatment for immune-mediated inflammatory diseases and reduces vaccine-induced immunity. We evaluated if a 2-week interruption of methotrexate treatment immediately after COVID-19 booster vaccination improv... Read More about Two-week break in methotrexate treatment and COVID-19 vaccine response: a prospective, open label, two-arm parallel-group, multicentre, superiority, randomised controlled trial.