New guidance has said that children with eczema should not be offered bath emollients on the NHS. Watchdog the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said that after reviewing the evidence it had concluded that bath emollients are not clinically or cost effective.
Nice’s committee looked at evidence from the year-long Bathe trial in 2018, which found that pouring emollient additives into the bath provided no additional benefit over standard eczema care. The committee said that while emollient bath additives do not make eczema worse, prescribing an “ineffective” product places “unnecessary burdens” on patients and carers in terms of obtaining and using the products.
However, it added that some children may benefit from bath emollients. Products can still be bought over the counter if people want to continue using them. Nice’s guidance states that children can and should continue to use emollients and/or emollient wash products instead of soaps.
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The new Nice draft guideline – on the diagnosis and management of atopic eczema in children under 12 – is now subject to public consultation. According to a report from WalesOnline, Nice said the guidance brings it into line with NHS England’s advice in 2019 that emollient bath additives should not be routinely prescribed.
Atopic eczema is the most common form of eczema, according to the NHS website. It is a condition that causes the skin to become itchy, dry and cracked. It says: "Atopic eczema is more common in children, often developing before their first birthday. But it may also develop for the first time in adults.
"It's usually a long-term (chronic) condition, although it can improve significantly, or even clear completely, in some children as they get older."
The Bathe trial included 482 children from 96 GP surgeries.
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