The meta-analysis included 291 randomized clinical trials with a total of 45,846 participants.

Potent and very potent topical corticosteroids, tacrolimus 0.1%, and JAK inhibitors were the most effective short-term treatments for atopic dermatitis.

PDE-4 inhibitors such as crisaborole and roflumilast were found to be the least effective for symptom relief.

The included studies ranged from 2 to 16 weeks in duration, with a median of 3 weeks.

Short-term topical corticosteroid use was not associated with skin thinning.

Application-site irritation was most common with tacrolimus, pimecrolimus, and crisaborole.

Long-term corticosteroid-related skin thinning was rare, occurring in only 6 of 4069 participants.