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Efficacy and safety of sodium hypochlorite (bleach) baths in patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis in M alaysia
Author(s) -
Wong Suming,
Ng Ting Guan,
Baba Roshidah
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.9
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1346-8138
pISSN - 0385-2407
DOI - 10.1111/1346-8138.12265
Subject(s) - bleach , medicine , sodium hypochlorite , atopic dermatitis , eczema area and severity index , staphylococcus aureus , exacerbation , placebo , dermatology , surgery , pathology , chemistry , alternative medicine , organic chemistry , biology , bacteria , genetics
Staphylococcus aureus is frequently found in patients with atopic dermatitis ( AD ) and contributes to disease exacerbation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of bleach baths as an adjunctive treatment in AD patients. Patients between 2 and 30 years old with moderate to severe AD were enrolled in a prospective, randomized, placebo‐controlled study. Patients soaked in diluted bleach or distilled water baths for 10 min, twice a week for 2 months. Efficacy assessments included the E czema A rea and S everity I ndex ( EASI ) scores and S . aureus density was determined using quantitative bacterial cultures. Patients in the treatment group showed significant reductions in EASI scores. A 41.9% reduction in S . aureus density from baseline was seen at 1 month further reducing to 53.3% at 2 months. Equal numbers of patients in both groups experienced mild side‐effects. This study demonstrates that diluted bleach baths clinically improved AD in as little as 1 month. No patient withdrew from the treatment arm because of intolerance to the baths.