Effect of a new cryotherapy device on an itchy sensation in patients with mild atopic dermatitis.

Abstract

The existence of an itchy sensation is a common complaint in patients with atopic dermatitis. More therapeutic modalities to address the itchy sensation in atopic dermatitis are still required. We sought to assess the effect of a new cryotherapy device on the itchy sensation experienced by patients with atopic dermatitis. A total of 28 patients with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis participated in this study. A split-body clinical trial was conducted for 2months, where one side of each participant was treated with the novel cryotherapy device, and the other side of each participant was observed as a control. The cryotherapy device was set to -5°C and applied for five seconds. We evaluated the visual analog scale (VAS) score for itch at 10, 30, and 60minutes and at 1, 2 and 8weeks after cryotherapy application. In addition, the level of patient satisfaction and adverse events were evaluated every visit. On the day immediately after treatment, the VAS score for itch in the treated-side group was lower following cryotherapy application than as compared within the control-side group. Further, the VAS score for itch in the treated-side group at baseline (before treatment) was higher than at 1, 2 and 8weeks after treatment. The proportion of patients reporting good or excellent satisfaction was 14.3%. No serious adverse events were recorded. The novel cryotherapy tested herein may be a valuable antipruritic therapeutic remedy in patients with atopic dermatitis.