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Bathing Babies and Allergy

NCT03050658 · Status: COMPLETED · Type: OBSERVATIONAL · Enrollment: 28

Last updated 2025-02-11

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic allergic skin disease with onset in early childhood and increasing prevalence in Westernized countries. Current well newborn guidelines for washing babies with soap were adopted by U.S. hospitals in the 1970s, before the rise in prevalence of allergic disease and AD (also called eczema). Increased transepidermal water-loss (TEWL) in newborn skin at 2 days of life was recently identified as a predictor of AD and allergy development by age 2 years. Risk for AD in babies was also linked to decreased skin colonization with certain skin microflora, such as staphylococcal organisms. Together, these data raise the question of whether newborn skincare guidelines have the potential to modify a baby's risk for allergy development. Our current practice of washing babies with soap may alter TEWL or other natural factors in skin that protect babies from development of AD and allergy. More knowledge is needed about the impact of infant skincare practices on allergy development.

The objective of this pilot study is to determine the impact of a baby's first bath on his/her transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and skin microflora. Study procedures will include collection of TEWL measurements and skin swabs for skin microflora analysis pre/post first bath in healthy term newborns at UVA. This data will serve as preliminary data for future studies.

Conditions

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • University of Virginia

    lead OTHER

Eligibility

Min Age
0 Hours
Max Age
72 Hours
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2017-02-07
Primary Completion
2019-08-30
Completion
2021-05-31

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT03050658 on ClinicalTrials.gov