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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.
Dr
Matthew
Ridd
m.ridd@bristol.ac.uk
Catriona
Rutter
catriona.rutter@bristol.ac.uk
Rebecca
Howling
rebecca.howling@nihr.ac.uk
Phuong
Hua
phuong.hua@bristol.ac.uk
Mrs
Rachel
Avery
rachel.avery@nihr.ac.uk
Dermatitis and eczema
This information is provided directly by researchers, and we recognise that it isn't always easy to understand. We are working with researchers to improve the accessibility of this information. In some summaries, you may come across links to external websites. These websites will have more information to help you better understand the study.
Atopic eczema (dermatitis) is an inflammatory skin disorder characterised by recurrent eczematous lesions and intense itch (Langan et al., 2020; Van Zuuren et al., 2017). It is one of the most common inflammatory disorders, affecting 15 to 30% of children (Thandi et al., 2021). Dry skin, a key characteristic of eczema, is caused by a dysfunctional epidermal barrier (Williams et al., 1994).
There is currently no cure for eczema, so the treatment goal is control of the disease using the wide range of treatments available (Lax et al., 2022; NICE, 2007) to treat the skin-barrier defect and inflammation, thus obtaining prolonged patient remission. Topical therapies are key to achieving those goals (Sideris et al., 2022). First-line therapy is the daily application of emollients/moisturisers to restore epidermal barrier function, usually in combination with anti-inflammatory therapy (Van Zuuren et al., 2017). The most commonly used anti-inflammatory therapy is topical corticosteroids (TCS) (Lax et al., 2022) but Topical Calcineurin Inhibitors (TCI) are also used. Although emollients and TCS are considered a first-line therapy approach (Van Zuuren et al., 2017), new anti-inflammatory agents are emerging which could be implemented in future treatment regimens.
There are few real world studies and evidence on eczema treatments have largely been derived from highly controlled clinical trials. Real world studies are needed to collect data on patient adherence and treatment persistence, variables that are less likely to be captured from clinical trial cohorts (Augustin et al., 2022; Kiiski et al., 2023).
The current study will explore, from the perspective of child patients, parents/carers and healthcare professionals, how topical treatments, especially emollients and TCS are used in everyday life to treat/manage children with eczema. We will further understand whether topical treatments are considered safe and effective to use and reasons for their use.
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:
Observational type: Cross-sectional;
You can take part if:
You may not be able to take part if:
Patients will be excluded if they: - Are aged over 25 years - Do not have a self-reported eczema diagnosis - Are not registered with a GP surgery taking part in this study - Are based outside England Parents/carers will be excluded if they: - Do not have a child aged 0-25 years who meets the criteria outlined for patients above. HCPs will be excluded if they: - Are not practicing at a GP surgery taking part in this study - Are not treating a patient (under 25) with eczema - Are practicing outside England
Below are the locations for where you can take part in the trial. Please note that not all sites may be open.
Catriona
Rutter
catriona.rutter@bristol.ac.uk
Mrs
Rachel
Avery
rachel.avery@nihr.ac.uk
Rebecca
Howling
rebecca.howling@nihr.ac.uk
Dr
Matthew
Ridd
m.ridd@bristol.ac.uk
Phuong
Hua
phuong.hua@bristol.ac.uk
The study is sponsored by University of Bristol and funded by NIHR Academy .
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 63781
You can print or share the study information with your GP/healthcare provider or contact the research team directly.
