Introduction: Corticosteroids are the mainstay of treatment for the acute phase of atopic dermatitis (AD), whereas topical emollients are mainly used for maintenance of remission. A topical agent that combines emollient and anti-inflammatory properties would achieve control of all phases of AD, without the need for chronic corticosteroid use.
Aim: To assess the efficacy of a novel topical agent containing superoxide dismutase (SOD) 100 000 IU and 4% of a combination of plant extracts (blackcurrant seed oil, sunflower oil concentrate, balloon vine extract).
Methods: Twenty patients (age range from 8 months to 72 years old) with mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis were assessed. The product was used as mono-therapy, applied to the affected skin areas twice daily. Patients were evaluated before and after a 30-day course using the SCORAD and the Visual Analog Scale for assessment of pruritus intensity. Primary endpoint was improvement of AD according to SCORAD and clinical assessment. Secondary endpoint was patient satisfaction and improvement of pruritus.
Results: Mean SCORAD on day 0 was 32.61(range = 16.0-46.9) and decreased to 10.55 (range = 0-17.0) on day 30, reflecting a reduction of 67.6%. On day 30, all patients described significant improvement in pruritus and quality of sleep.
Conclusion: The application of the study product cream resulted in significant improvement of AD, as reflected by the objective SCORAD measurement, and the subjective assessment of pruritus and quality of life. This novel anti-inflammatory emollient product may emerge as a safe and effective therapeutic tool for all phases of AD without the adverse effects of chronic use of corticosteroids.
Keywords: atopic dermatitis; atopic xerosis; dry skin; emollients; pruritus.
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