ACDS Annual Meeting

MIAMI BEACH – Virgin coconut oil is superior to mineral oil for lessening both the signs and symptoms of mild to moderate atopic dermatitis in children and senile xerosis in elderly adults, according to findings from separate randomized controlled studies.

In the pediatric atopic dermatitis study, 117 children were randomized to receive 8 weeks of twice-daily topical application of either virgin coconut oil (VCO) or mineral oil. Of those treated with VCO, 93% experienced improvement on the Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index, compared with 53% of those treated with mineral oil. An excellent response, defined as 75% or greater improvement on SCORAD, occurred in 46% and 19% of the patients in the VCO and mineral oil groups, respectively, Dr. Mara Therese P. Evangelista reported at the annual meeting of the American Contact Dermatitis Society.

The children treated with topical VCO were 85% more likely to experience treatment success than those treated with mineral oil, said Dr. Evangelista, a resident at Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center, Manila, Philippines.

Like mineral oil, VCO has both occlusive and emollient properties. But unlike mineral oil, it is believed to have both anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, Dr. Evangelista said.

In this double-blind study, the VCO was significantly more effective than mineral oil on all subjective and objective measures, including SCORAD, transepidermal water loss, and skin capacitance, she noted.

Treatment was safe and well tolerated; no differences were noted between the groups with respect to adverse effects.

VCO, which is readily available in health food stores and in many Asian food markets, represents an effective and inexpensive alternative to other commercially available moisturizers for the treatment of atopic dermatitis in children, Dr. Evangelista concluded.

Similarly, in the senile xerosis study, 148 patients with mild to moderate leg xerosis were randomized to receive 2 weeks of twice-daily application of either VCO or mineral oil. The therapeutic response rate was 32.1% in those treated with VCO, compared with 8.9% for those treated with mineral oil, Dr. Mariecon Escuadro reported in a poster at the meeting.

VCO treatment was associated with significant improvement on most subjective and objective measures used in this assessor-blinded study, including the Overall Disability Sum Score (ODSS), patient-assessed efficacy, corneometer reading, and sebumeter reading (relative risk reductions of 60.5%, 27.6%, 51.75%, and 55.5%, respectively), said Dr. Escuadro of the University of the Philippines, Manila.

Scores on the Filipino Dermatology Life Quality Index did not differ significantly between the two groups, nor did adverse events.

VCO in this study was associated with effective and immediate improvement in senile xerosis of the legs in elderly patients, Dr. Escuadro said.

The ACDS Annual Meeting Review Committee reported resolving any real or apparent conflicts of interest prior to presentations being made at the annual meeting.

MIAMI BEACH – Virgin coconut oil is superior to mineral oil for lessening both the signs and symptoms of mild to moderate atopic dermatitis in children and senile xerosis in elderly adults, according to findings from separate randomized controlled studies.

In the pediatric atopic dermatitis study, 117 children were randomized to receive 8 weeks of twice-daily topical application of either virgin coconut oil (VCO) or mineral oil. Of those treated with VCO, 93% experienced improvement on the Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index, compared with 53% of those treated with mineral oil. An excellent response, defined as 75% or greater improvement on SCORAD, occurred in 46% and 19% of the patients in the VCO and mineral oil groups, respectively, Dr. Mara Therese P. Evangelista reported at the annual meeting of the American Contact Dermatitis Society.

The children treated with topical VCO were 85% more likely to experience treatment success than those treated with mineral oil, said Dr. Evangelista, a resident at Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center, Manila, Philippines.

Like mineral oil, VCO has both occlusive and emollient properties. But unlike mineral oil, it is believed to have both anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, Dr. Evangelista said.

In this double-blind study, the VCO was significantly more effective than mineral oil on all subjective and objective measures, including SCORAD, transepidermal water loss, and skin capacitance, she noted.

Treatment was safe and well tolerated; no differences were noted between the groups with respect to adverse effects.

VCO, which is readily available in health food stores and in many Asian food markets, represents an effective and inexpensive alternative to other commercially available moisturizers for the treatment of atopic dermatitis in children, Dr. Evangelista concluded.

Similarly, in the senile xerosis study, 148 patients with mild to moderate leg xerosis were randomized to receive 2 weeks of twice-daily application of either VCO or mineral oil. The therapeutic response rate was 32.1% in those treated with VCO, compared with 8.9% for those treated with mineral oil, Dr. Mariecon Escuadro reported in a poster at the meeting.

VCO treatment was associated with significant improvement on most subjective and objective measures used in this assessor-blinded study, including the Overall Disability Sum Score (ODSS), patient-assessed efficacy, corneometer reading, and sebumeter reading (relative risk reductions of 60.5%, 27.6%, 51.75%, and 55.5%, respectively), said Dr. Escuadro of the University of the Philippines, Manila.

Scores on the Filipino Dermatology Life Quality Index did not differ significantly between the two groups, nor did adverse events.

VCO in this study was associated with effective and immediate improvement in senile xerosis of the legs in elderly patients, Dr. Escuadro said.

The ACDS Annual Meeting Review Committee reported resolving any real or apparent conflicts of interest prior to presentations being made at the annual meeting.

MIAMI BEACH – Virgin coconut oil is superior to mineral oil for lessening both the signs and symptoms of mild to moderate atopic dermatitis in children and senile xerosis in elderly adults, according to findings from separate randomized controlled studies.

In the pediatric atopic dermatitis study, 117 children were randomized to receive 8 weeks of twice-daily topical application of either virgin coconut oil (VCO) or mineral oil. Of those treated with VCO, 93% experienced improvement on the Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index, compared with 53% of those treated with mineral oil. An excellent response, defined as 75% or greater improvement on SCORAD, occurred in 46% and 19% of the patients in the VCO and mineral oil groups, respectively, Dr. Mara Therese P. Evangelista reported at the annual meeting of the American Contact Dermatitis Society.

The children treated with topical VCO were 85% more likely to experience treatment success than those treated with mineral oil, said Dr. Evangelista, a resident at Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center, Manila, Philippines.

Like mineral oil, VCO has both occlusive and emollient properties. But unlike mineral oil, it is believed to have both anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, Dr. Evangelista said.

In this double-blind study, the VCO was significantly more effective than mineral oil on all subjective and objective measures, including SCORAD, transepidermal water loss, and skin capacitance, she noted.

Treatment was safe and well tolerated; no differences were noted between the groups with respect to adverse effects.

VCO, which is readily available in health food stores and in many Asian food markets, represents an effective and inexpensive alternative to other commercially available moisturizers for the treatment of atopic dermatitis in children, Dr. Evangelista concluded.

Similarly, in the senile xerosis study, 148 patients with mild to moderate leg xerosis were randomized to receive 2 weeks of twice-daily application of either VCO or mineral oil. The therapeutic response rate was 32.1% in those treated with VCO, compared with 8.9% for those treated with mineral oil, Dr. Mariecon Escuadro reported in a poster at the meeting.

VCO treatment was associated with significant improvement on most subjective and objective measures used in this assessor-blinded study, including the Overall Disability Sum Score (ODSS), patient-assessed efficacy, corneometer reading, and sebumeter reading (relative risk reductions of 60.5%, 27.6%, 51.75%, and 55.5%, respectively), said Dr. Escuadro of the University of the Philippines, Manila.

Scores on the Filipino Dermatology Life Quality Index did not differ significantly between the two groups, nor did adverse events.

VCO in this study was associated with effective and immediate improvement in senile xerosis of the legs in elderly patients, Dr. Escuadro said.

The ACDS Annual Meeting Review Committee reported resolving any real or apparent conflicts of interest prior to presentations being made at the annual meeting.

MIAMI BEACH – The risk of nickel and cobalt sensitivity increases in tandem with the number of body piercings, according to findings from a study involving nearly 9,400 patch-tested patients.

Overall, 3,907 (41.6%) of the 9,388 subjects had no piercings, 131 (1.3%) had one piercing, 3,987 (42.5%) had two piercings, 934 (9.9%) had three to four piercings, and 429 (4.6%) had five or more piercings, Jaime L. Loso reported at the annual meeting of the American Contact Dermatitis Society.

Nickel and cobalt sensitivity both were significantly associated with piercing (relative risks of 2.52 and 1.63, respectively); chromate sensitivity had an inverse relationship with piercing (relative risk, 0.60), said Ms. Loso, a third-year medical student at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

Overall, 1,651 patients (17.7%) had nickel sensitivity and 685 (7.3%) had cobalt sensitivity. The sensitivity rates increased with the number of piercings. The rates of sensitivity among those with zero, one, two, three to four, and five or more piercings were 9.4%, 16%, 22.6%, 25.1%, and 32.4%, respectively, for nickel and 5.3%, 7.6%, 8.2%, 9.5%, and 11.7% for cobalt.

Chromate sensitivity was less common, occurring in only 306 patients (3.26%). Less than 4.3% of patients in all piercing groups had chromate sensitivity, Ms. Loso noted.

"Nickel is the most common allergen for patch-tested patients, and body piercing has been directly correlated with the development of nickel allergy," she said, adding that cobalt content is often associated with nickel content in consumer products, although recent studies suggest that only a small amount of jewelry – mainly earrings – releases cobalt.

In the current study, which involved patients identified using North American Contact Dermatitis Group data from 2007 to 2010, younger patients were affected more often than older patients, females were affected more often than males, and – surprisingly – piercing was associated with allergy in males more often than in females, she reported.

The findings, though limited by the fact that the referral population may not be representative of the general population and by a lack of information regarding age at the time of piercing and the body sites pierced, help characterize metal allergy associated with body piercing, Ms. Loso said.

She noted that nickel allergy has been well studied in Europe – resulting in regulation of the nickel content in consumer goods and a subsequent significant decline in nickel sensitivity among young females there. The same is not true for the United States, where nickel sensitivity remains an important problem.

Ms. Loso reported having no disclosures.

MIAMI BEACH – The risk of nickel and cobalt sensitivity increases in tandem with the number of body piercings, according to findings from a study involving nearly 9,400 patch-tested patients.

Overall, 3,907 (41.6%) of the 9,388 subjects had no piercings, 131 (1.3%) had one piercing, 3,987 (42.5%) had two piercings, 934 (9.9%) had three to four piercings, and 429 (4.6%) had five or more piercings, Jaime L. Loso reported at the annual meeting of the American Contact Dermatitis Society.

Nickel and cobalt sensitivity both were significantly associated with piercing (relative risks of 2.52 and 1.63, respectively); chromate sensitivity had an inverse relationship with piercing (relative risk, 0.60), said Ms. Loso, a third-year medical student at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

Overall, 1,651 patients (17.7%) had nickel sensitivity and 685 (7.3%) had cobalt sensitivity. The sensitivity rates increased with the number of piercings. The rates of sensitivity among those with zero, one, two, three to four, and five or more piercings were 9.4%, 16%, 22.6%, 25.1%, and 32.4%, respectively, for nickel and 5.3%, 7.6%, 8.2%, 9.5%, and 11.7% for cobalt.

Chromate sensitivity was less common, occurring in only 306 patients (3.26%). Less than 4.3% of patients in all piercing groups had chromate sensitivity, Ms. Loso noted.

"Nickel is the most common allergen for patch-tested patients, and body piercing has been directly correlated with the development of nickel allergy," she said, adding that cobalt content is often associated with nickel content in consumer products, although recent studies suggest that only a small amount of jewelry – mainly earrings – releases cobalt.

In the current study, which involved patients identified using North American Contact Dermatitis Group data from 2007 to 2010, younger patients were affected more often than older patients, females were affected more often than males, and – surprisingly – piercing was associated with allergy in males more often than in females, she reported.

The findings, though limited by the fact that the referral population may not be representative of the general population and by a lack of information regarding age at the time of piercing and the body sites pierced, help characterize metal allergy associated with body piercing, Ms. Loso said.

She noted that nickel allergy has been well studied in Europe – resulting in regulation of the nickel content in consumer goods and a subsequent significant decline in nickel sensitivity among young females there. The same is not true for the United States, where nickel sensitivity remains an important problem.

Ms. Loso reported having no disclosures.

MIAMI BEACH – The risk of nickel and cobalt sensitivity increases in tandem with the number of body piercings, according to findings from a study involving nearly 9,400 patch-tested patients.

Overall, 3,907 (41.6%) of the 9,388 subjects had no piercings, 131 (1.3%) had one piercing, 3,987 (42.5%) had two piercings, 934 (9.9%) had three to four piercings, and 429 (4.6%) had five or more piercings, Jaime L. Loso reported at the annual meeting of the American Contact Dermatitis Society.

Nickel and cobalt sensitivity both were significantly associated with piercing (relative risks of 2.52 and 1.63, respectively); chromate sensitivity had an inverse relationship with piercing (relative risk, 0.60), said Ms. Loso, a third-year medical student at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

Overall, 1,651 patients (17.7%) had nickel sensitivity and 685 (7.3%) had cobalt sensitivity. The sensitivity rates increased with the number of piercings. The rates of sensitivity among those with zero, one, two, three to four, and five or more piercings were 9.4%, 16%, 22.6%, 25.1%, and 32.4%, respectively, for nickel and 5.3%, 7.6%, 8.2%, 9.5%, and 11.7% for cobalt.

Chromate sensitivity was less common, occurring in only 306 patients (3.26%). Less than 4.3% of patients in all piercing groups had chromate sensitivity, Ms. Loso noted.

"Nickel is the most common allergen for patch-tested patients, and body piercing has been directly correlated with the development of nickel allergy," she said, adding that cobalt content is often associated with nickel content in consumer products, although recent studies suggest that only a small amount of jewelry – mainly earrings – releases cobalt.

In the current study, which involved patients identified using North American Contact Dermatitis Group data from 2007 to 2010, younger patients were affected more often than older patients, females were affected more often than males, and – surprisingly – piercing was associated with allergy in males more often than in females, she reported.

The findings, though limited by the fact that the referral population may not be representative of the general population and by a lack of information regarding age at the time of piercing and the body sites pierced, help characterize metal allergy associated with body piercing, Ms. Loso said.

She noted that nickel allergy has been well studied in Europe – resulting in regulation of the nickel content in consumer goods and a subsequent significant decline in nickel sensitivity among young females there. The same is not true for the United States, where nickel sensitivity remains an important problem.

Ms. Loso reported having no disclosures.