Adjuvant treatment of atopic eczema: assessment of an emollient containing N-palmitoylethanolamine (ATOPA study)
Observational studyHumansTopical
- Design
- Observational study
- Subjects
- 2,456 patients aged 2 to 70 with mild to moderate atopic eczema, in several countries
- Dose used in the study
- A skin care cream containing palmitoylethanolamide in a lamellar base, used regularly. The abstract does not state the concentration.
- Duration
- 4 to 6 weeks
- What was measured
- Doctor-rated redness, itch, scratching marks, scaling, thickening and dryness. Patient-rated itch and sleep. Use of steroid creams.
What the authors reported
The authors reported a 58.6% fall in the combined symptom score by the end of the study. Patient-rated itch fell from 4.9 to 2.0 on a 10-point scale (P < 0.001), and sleep quality improved. 56% of patients who had used steroid creams stopped using them, and average weekly steroid applications fell from 7.9 to 3.0. Tolerance was rated good or very good in 92% of cases.
Limits of this study
The authors describe the study as observational and non-controlled. Every patient received the cream, so the study cannot separate the effect of palmitoylethanolamide from the effect of regular moisturising with any emollient, or from the natural course of eczema. The entry was checked against the abstract only. No funding information was given in the record.
Source
doi:10.1111/j.1468-3083.2007.02351.x
Entry checked against the abstract and citation held by Crossref, the DOI registry on 2026-09-21. The dose shown is the dose the researchers used. It is not a recommendation. How to read this page.