Department of Paediatrics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong Institute of Integrative Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Med J. 2020 Feb;26(1):19-26. doi: 10.12809/hkmj198150. Epub 2020 Feb 6.
Skin hydration (SH) and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) are important skin biophysical parameters for assessment of childhood eczema. This study investigated whether age, sex, and disease status influence these parameters.
Skin hydration and TEWL were measured by Delfin MoistureMeterSC and Delfin Vapometer SWL5, respectively, among children aged ≤18 years with and without eczema. Disease status was evaluated using Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) and Nottingham Eczema Severity Score (NESS) clinical tools.
Clinical scores and objective measurements were reviewed for 132 patients with eczema and 120 patients without eczema. In both sexes, SH was significantly higher among children aged ≤2 years with and without eczema than among children aged >2 years with and without eczema. Among children aged >2 years, SH was higher among girls with and without eczema than among boys with and without eczema. Regardless of age or sex, SH was lower among children with eczema than among children without eczema. Age-, sex-, and disease-related differences were not observed for TEWL. Skin hydration was negatively correlated with objective SCORAD (=-0.418, P<0.001), overall SCORAD (=-0.385, P<0.001), oedema/papulation (=-0.243, P=0.041), lichenification (=-0.363, P=0.002), dryness (=-0.415, P<0.001), and intensity (=-0.266, P=0.025). Transepidermal water loss was positively correlated with objective SCORAD (=0.209, P=0.018), overall SCORAD (=0.215, P=0.015), and lichenification (=0.240, P=0.043). Skin hydration was negatively correlated with TEWL among children without eczema (=-0.401, P<0.001), but not among children with eczema.
Skin hydration can be used to distinguish clinical differences in eczema based on age, sex, and disease status.
皮肤水分（SH）和经表皮水分流失（TEWL）是评估儿童湿疹的重要皮肤生物物理参数。本研究旨在探讨年龄、性别和疾病状态是否会影响这些参数。
通过 Delfin MoistureMeterSC 和 Delfin Vapometer SWL5 分别测量了年龄在 18 岁及以上的湿疹患者和无湿疹患者的皮肤水分和 TEWL。采用 Scoring Atopic Dermatitis（SCORAD）和 Nottingham Eczema Severity Score（NESS）临床工具评估疾病状态。
共纳入 132 例湿疹患者和 120 例无湿疹患者进行临床评分和客观指标评估。在所有性别中，2 岁及以上的湿疹患者和无湿疹患者的皮肤水分均明显高于 2 岁以上的患者，而 2 岁以上的儿童无论男女，女性的皮肤水分均高于男性。无论年龄或性别如何，湿疹患儿的皮肤水分均低于无湿疹患儿。未观察到 TEWL 与年龄、性别和疾病相关的差异。皮肤水分与客观 SCORAD（=-0.418，P<0.001）、总体 SCORAD（=-0.385，P<0.001）、水肿/丘疹（=-0.243，P=0.041）、苔藓化（=-0.363，P=0.002）、干燥（=-0.415，P<0.001）和强度（=-0.266，P=0.025）呈负相关。TEWL 与客观 SCORAD（=0.209，P=0.018）、总体 SCORAD（=0.215，P=0.015）和苔藓化（=0.240，P=0.043）呈正相关。无湿疹患儿的皮肤水分与 TEWL 呈负相关（=-0.401，P<0.001），但湿疹患儿的皮肤水分与 TEWL 无相关性。
皮肤水分可用于根据年龄、性别和疾病状态区分湿疹的临床差异。
