Eczema guidance
Wednesday, 12 Dec 2007 12:02
Bath emollients have been advised for the treatment of eczema in children by Nice
The use of bath emollients has been included in updated advice on how to manage atopic eczema by the UK's health advisory body.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) said the emollients could help to manage the skin condition.
Atopic eczema is very common in children, affecting as many as one in five, and leaves their skin inflamed, dry and prone to infection.
Although it often clears up it can carry on into adult life or come back in teenage years.
Bath emollients have caused controversy this year, with a report in the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin claiming there is no evidence from controlled clinical trials to show that these products are effective at improving eczema.
But in its latest guidance Nice advises medical professionals to offer children with atopic eczema a choice of unperfumed emollients to use for everyday washing, bathing and moisturising.
Leave-on emollients are advised to be made easily available for use at nursery, pre-school or school.
They help eczema by forming a protective barrier on the skin, preventing water loss and reducing the effects of skin irritants.
Other areas covered in the Nice guidance include high street and internet allergy tests.
The health body advises against their use, saying there is "no evidence" of their value in managing eczema.
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