Clinical effectiveness of a silk fabric in the treatment of atopic dermatitis

Background In children with atopic dermatitis (AD), eczema is easily aggravated by contact with irritant factors (e.g. aggressive detergents, synthetic and woollen clothes, climatic factors). Objectives To evaluate the effectiveness of a special silk fabric (MICROAIR DermaSilk((R))) in the treatment of young children affected by AD with acute lesions at the time of examination. Methods Forty-six children (mean age 2 years) affected by AD in an acute phase were recruited: 31 received special silk clothes (group A) which they were instructed to wear for a week; the other 15 served as a control group (group B) and wore cotton clothing. Topical moisturizing creams or emulsions were the only topical treatment prescribed in both groups. The overall severity of the disease was evaluated using the SCORAD index. In addition, the local score of an area covered by the silk clothes was compared with the local score of an uncovered area in the same child. All patients were evaluated at baseline and 7 days after the initial examination. Results At the end of the study a significant decrease in AD severity was observed in the children of group A (mean SCORAD decrease from 43 to 30; P = 0.003). At the same time, the improvement in the mean local score of the covered area (from 32 to 18.6; P = 0.001) was significantly greater than that of the uncovered area (from 31 to 26; P = 0.112). Conclusions The use of special silk clothes may be useful in the management of AD in children.