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BMJ Clinical Evidence May 2011Eczema, as defined by the World Allergy Organization (WAO) revised nomenclature in 2003, affects 15% to 20% of school children and 2% to 5% of adults worldwide. About... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Eczema, as defined by the World Allergy Organization (WAO) revised nomenclature in 2003, affects 15% to 20% of school children and 2% to 5% of adults worldwide. About 50% of people with eczema demonstrate atopy, with specific immunoglobulin E responses to allergens.
METHODS AND OUTCOMES
We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical questions: What are the effects of topical medical treatments, and dietary interventions in adults and children with established eczema? What are the effects of breastfeeding, reducing allergens, or dietary interventions for primary prevention of eczema in predisposed infants? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to May 2009 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically, please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
RESULTS
We found 54 systematic reviews, RCTs, or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions.
CONCLUSIONS
In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: breastfeeding, controlling house dust mites, corticosteroids, dietary exclusion of eggs or cow's milk, elementary diets, emollients, essential fatty oils, few-foods diet, multivitamins, pimecrolimus, probiotics, pyridoxine, reducing maternal dietary allergens, tacrolimus, vitamin E, and zinc supplements.
Topics: Adrenal Cortex Hormones; Animals; Dermatitis, Atopic; Eczema; Emollients; Humans; Hypersensitivity; Pyroglyphidae
PubMed: 21609512
DOI: No ID Found -
House dust mite avoidance measures for perennial allergic rhinitis: a systematic review of efficacy.The British Journal of General Practice... Apr 2003Perennial allergic rhinitis is a common chronic disorder that results most frequently from sensitivity to house dust mites. National and international guidelines for the... (Review)
Review
Perennial allergic rhinitis is a common chronic disorder that results most frequently from sensitivity to house dust mites. National and international guidelines for the management of allergic rhinitis recommend that house dust mite avoidance measures be considered in all patients with house dust mite-provoked rhinitis. To assess the benefit and harm of measures designed to reduce house dust mite exposure in the management of house dust mite-sensitive allergic rhinitis, published and unpublished randomised controlled trials were systematically searched. A methodological assessment of trial quality was conducted using the Cochrane approach. Four trials satisfied the inclusion criteria, all of which were small and judged to be of poor quality. The results indicate that, when compared with controls, significant reductions of allergen load can be achieved by physical and chemical means, but there is little evidence at present that these reductions translate into sustained improvements in clinical outcomes. No serious adverse effects were reported from the interventions.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Allergens; Child; Child, Preschool; Chronic Disease; Dust; Environmental Exposure; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Pyroglyphidae; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial
PubMed: 12879834
DOI: No ID Found