AAD Poster Rounds: AD Prevention, Placebo Effect, Words Matter

Source: Med Page Today, March 2018

An aggressive topical-emollient regimen initiated as part of neonatal care reduced the incidence of atopic dermatitis (AD) in high-risk infants by half at 6 months as compared with infants who did not receive the skin care, French researchers reported.
The study involved 120 infants at high risk of AD because of family history. They were randomized to a prevention strategy or to standard care (application of a topical emollient only for dry skin and followed for 6 months. An additional 60 normal-risk neonates served as an additional control.
The prevention strategy consisted of twice-daily application of an emollient, twice-weekly treatment with a cleansing cream, and twice-weekly bath-oil treatment. Outcomes of interest were first AD flare, levels of natural moisturizing factors (NMFs) and ceramides, and colonization with Staphylococcus aureus or S. epidermidis.