Early emollient application: An effective strategy for atopic dermatitis prevention in infants

Key clinical point: Early application of emollients can effectively prevent atopic dermatitis (AD) in infants, with emollient emulsion seeming an optimal treatment option in infancy compared with creams or mixed emollients.

Major finding: The incidence of AD was significantly lower in high-risk infants receiving early emollients vs standard care (risk ratio 0.64; 95% CI 0.47-0.88), with surface under the cumulative ranking curve analysis revealing emollient emulsion (82.6%) as the optimal treatment for AD prevention in infants, followed by mixed emollient (77.4%) and emollient cream (21.9%).

Study details: This was a systematic review and network meta-analysis of 11 randomized controlled trials including 3483 infants without AD who received either prophylactic emollients (cream, emulsion, or mixed types) or standard care.

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Disclosures: This study was supported by the Key Research and Development Project of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. The authors declared no  conflicts of interest.

Source: Liang J, Hu F et al. Systematic review and network meta‐analysis of different types of emollient for the prevention of atopic dermatitis in infants. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2022 (Nov 23). Doi: 10.1111/jdv.18688