The improvement of infantile atopic dermatitis during the maintenance period: a multicentre, randomised, parallel controlled clinical study of emollients in Prinsepia utilis Royle

In order to investigate the effect of daily emollient treatment on infantile atopic dermatitis (AD) during the maintenance period, a total of 309 children younger than 2 years with moderate AD (155 and 154 in the treatment and control groups, respectively) were enrolled in this multicenter, randomized, parallel controlled clinical trial. Subjects were topically treated with desonide cream and emollients in Prinsepia utilis Royle for 2-4 weeks before entering the maintenance period and then differentially treated with either emollients for treatment or none for control. The cumulative maintenance rate, time to flare and improvement of eczema area and severity index (EASI) and infant's dermatitis quality of life index (IDQOL) were evaluated. Results showed that the cumulative maintenance rate of the treatment group (60.5%, 95% CI 50.0-69.4%) was significantly higher than that of the control group (23.5%, 95% CI 15.2-33.0%) (p < .001). The median time to flare in the treatment group was 90 days (interquartile range, IQR 28-90), which was significantly longer than that in the control group (28 days [IQR 18-67]) (p < .001). At Week 4 in the maintenance period, the EASI and IDQOL scores of the treatment group were lower than those of the control group. In conclusion, the application of emollients during the maintenance period of infantile AD can significantly reduce the risk of AD flares, prolong the time to flare and improve the clinical symptoms.