Alternative Treatments for Atopic Dermatitis: An Update.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to review new randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on complementary and alternative therapies, including melatonin, for atopic dermatitis (AD) to assess their clinical effects.
Results Summary
The study found preliminary positive clinical effects of melatonin in AD, but there is currently insufficient evidence to recommend its use in therapy. Future studies with larger sample sizes and standardized processes are needed.
Population
Patients with atopic dermatitis (AD).
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
vitamin E | increase | clinical effects | patients with atopic dermatitis | - | show positive clinical effects | #1 |
East Indian Sandalwood Oil (EISO) | increase | clinical effects | patients with atopic dermatitis | - | show positive clinical effects | #2 |
melatonin | increase | clinical effects | patients with atopic dermatitis | - | show positive clinical effects | #3 |
L-histidine | increase | clinical effects | patients with atopic dermatitis | - | show positive clinical effects | #4 |
Manuka honey | increase | clinical effects | patients with atopic dermatitis | - | show positive clinical effects | #5 |
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic pruritic inflammatory skin disease in which management with topical anti-inflammatory agents during exacerbations remains the mainstay of treatment. With no cure in sight, a significant proportion of patients elect to incorporate complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as an adjunct to conventional treatment. Many clinicians find it difficult to provide recommendations as the field covers an extensive number of very disparate therapies, with limited quality evidence to indicate efficacy. Since publication of the last review on this topic in the Journal that compiled and analyzed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on CAMs in 2015, several new studies have surfaced. This update aims to aggregate and review these new data. A literature search was conducted in the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Global Resource for EczemA Trials (GREAT) databases for RCTs on complementary and alternative therapies in AD from March 2015 through May 2018, resulting in 15 studies being included in this review. The preliminary results for many treatments such as vitamin E, East Indian Sandalwood Oil (EISO), melatonin, L-histidine, and Manuka honey show positive clinical effects, but there is currently not enough evidence to recommend their use in AD therapy. Future investigative efforts should focus on reproducing some of these studies with a larger sample size whose clinical characteristics and demographics are more reflective of the general AD population, and standardizing the process to produce reliable data.