Wednesday, May 31, 2006
New Fiber Offers Possible Relief For Eczema
An Osaka-based textile maker has developed a new fiber that is effective in soothing the itchiness of atopic dermatitis.
About 80 out of 100 atopic dermatitis sufferers found in clinical testing that their itchiness was reduced when wearing underwear made from the fiber.
Those who suffer from atopic dermatitis, more commonly called eczema, have intense itchiness of skin. And the attendant excessive scratching further aggravates the skin condition by bacterial infection and bleeding, causing more itchiness.
Drawing on research conducted by Shinshu University and other institutions, the textile maker, Daiwabo Neu Co., dyed a fiber with iron phthalocyanine, an organic chemical that destroys the protein that accelerates itchiness.
As a result, the firm found that the fiber decomposes allergens such as dust mites and house dust, which are a major cause of itchiness.
In the tests, around 100 sufferers wore underwear made of the fiber when they went to sleep at night. In the morning, they answered questions about how itchy they felt. Doctors also checked their skin for the presence of scratches on their bodies.
About 80 out of 100 atopic dermatitis sufferers found in clinical testing that their itchiness was reduced when wearing underwear made from the fiber.
Those who suffer from atopic dermatitis, more commonly called eczema, have intense itchiness of skin. And the attendant excessive scratching further aggravates the skin condition by bacterial infection and bleeding, causing more itchiness.
Drawing on research conducted by Shinshu University and other institutions, the textile maker, Daiwabo Neu Co., dyed a fiber with iron phthalocyanine, an organic chemical that destroys the protein that accelerates itchiness.
As a result, the firm found that the fiber decomposes allergens such as dust mites and house dust, which are a major cause of itchiness.
In the tests, around 100 sufferers wore underwear made of the fiber when they went to sleep at night. In the morning, they answered questions about how itchy they felt. Doctors also checked their skin for the presence of scratches on their bodies.
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