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Contact the study team using the details below to take part. If there are no contact details below please ask your doctor in the first instance.
Prof
Carsten
Flohr
carsten.flohr@kcl.ac.uk
Prof
Carsten
Flohr
carsten.flohr@kcl.ac.uk
Dermatitis and eczema
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Atopic eczema is an intensely itchy skin disease which often starts in infancy or early childhood. It can have profound effects on patients’ quality of life and cause long-lasting psychological impairment. Sleep may be very disturbed. More severe disease often requires oral/injectable immuno-modulatory treatments (i.e. medications which control symptoms by influencing the immune system).
There is an association between eczema,impaired cognitive functioning and mental health disorders,but the underlying mechanisms are not clearly defined.
This projects examines the links between inflammation-driven itching and disturbed sleep,and how this might be causally responsible for systemic and brain inflammation,disturbance of cognitive functioning and mental health problems. We will also study potential changes occurring following an improvement in eczema when patients are treated with systemic immuno-modulators.
Key investigations will include:
i) Home-based sleep studies using a commercially available sleep devices (for example DREEM headband,Philips Actiwatch,oximetry)
ii) Structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain,iii) Blood tests to quantify systemic inflammation
iv) Genetic analyses,particularly related to the immune system,circadian rhythm (the “internal 24-hour clock”),skin barrier function and the risk of developing eczema or associated diseases,v) Assessments of the skin’s barrier function
vi) Stool samples and skin swabs to study the gut and skin microbiome.
We will utilise existing anonymised data for comparative purposes (e.g. from patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and healthy controls who previously had brain imaging.)
We will explore eczema patients’ and families’ perception of their disease,in particular itch and the resulting sleep loss,through focus groups,to better understand the sociological impact of eczema,and how these patients’ interactions with the external world and society are affected by eczema. Importantly,this will include exploration of family dynamics,as patients with eczema often have profound sleep disturbance from early life,which can impact on their caregivers’ sleep and quality of life.
Start dates may differ between countries and research sites. The research team are responsible for keeping the information up-to-date.
The recruitment start and end dates are as follows:
Type: Drug;
You can take part if:
You may not be able to take part if:
Any clear contra-indication to MRI scanning (including any implanted devices or metal from previous surgery or accident,or severe claustrophobia) Formal diagnosis of a sleep disorder,requiring systemic medication. Sleep disturbance mainly from co-morbid illness (other than atopic eczema) Previous and/or current substance misuse Concomitant systemic medications likely to impact on quality of sleep studies.
Below are the locations for where you can take part in the trial. Please note that not all sites may be open.
The study is sponsored by King's College London and funded by King's College London; MEDICAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION; .
Your feedback is important to us. It will help us improve the quality of the study information on this site. Please answer both questions.
Read full details
for Trial ID: CPMS 55651
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