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Topical Steroid Formulation and Wet Wraps

Comparing Efficacy of Topical Steroid Cream vs. Ointment Formulations Using Wet Dressings for Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT02680301
Enrollment
40
Registered
2016-02-11
Start date
2016-03-31
Completion date
2018-06-01
Last updated
2019-06-18

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Dermatitis, Atopic

Keywords

Wet Wraps, Topical Steroid

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to 1. Compare efficacy of 0.1% triamcinolone containing wet wrap as an ointment or as a cream formulation in patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis 2. The relative patient/subject acceptance and adherence will also be compared between the two wet wrap types

Detailed description

In this study, the investigators will examine the effectiveness of wet wraps with topical steroids in different formulations for patients with a history of atopic dermatitis who are experiencing an acute flare. A validated clinical tool such Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA) will be used in order to assess severity of the condition as well as demonstrate the appropriateness of using wet wrap therapy as a treatment modality. IGA will measure intensity of the atopic dermatitis regarding erythema, lichenification, swelling and excoriation as well as subjective symptoms of the patient on a numeric scale. The treating clinician will be asked to rate their assessment before and after therapy. Patients will be asked to apply a topical steroid in a cream formulation to one extremity and then apply the same topical steroid in an ointment formulation to the other using the wet wrap technique. One of the investigators or nursing staff will provide detailed instructions to the patient and parents on how to perform the wet dressing (this is already routinely done for patients initiating wet wrap therapy in the pediatric dermatology clinic). Patients will also be given a sealed and coded envelope containing instructions to apply one steroid formulation to the right extremity and the other to the left. In this manner the providers will be blinded to treatment modality during the follow-up visit. Only the research coordinator will have access to the envelope code key. An additional handout will also be provided to reinforce appropriate treatment technique. After several days (3-5) the patient will return to the dermatology clinic for a nurse visit and evaluation of any improvement of the affected areas as well as comparison of improvement of the right and left extremities. The physician investigator will examine the patient and measure improvement using the IGA. Detailed photos of the affected areas will also be taken. After a certain number of patients have enrolled in the study and completed it, the de-identified data will be examined by a statistician for comparison. Other studies evaluating the effectiveness of wet wraps have commonly had 40-50 patients enrolled which will likely be the target of this study. The statistician will compare the IGA before and after treatment on each side to allow for interpretation of the data. Stratification of data may include ages and/or severity (moderate vs severe). Patient Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM) and/or a Quality of Life (QoL) index will also be provided to determine the patient's point of view regarding their management using validated tools. They will also be asked their opinion regarding if one side was better controlled than the other, if at all, as well as their personal preference for treatment of choice. Compliance will be determined by weighing the medication before and after each visit and a medication calendar.

Interventions

DRUG0.1% triamcinolone CREAM

Patients will be asked to apply a topical steroid in a cream formulation to one extremity using the wet wrap technique.

DRUG0.1% triamcinolone OINTMENT

Patients will be asked to apply a topical steroid in a ointment formulation to one extremity using the wet wrap technique.

Sponsors

Seton Healthcare Family
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
3 Years to 17 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. Patients between the ages of 3-17 experiencing a symmetric, bilateral flare of atopic dermatitis 2. The flares must reach a certain threshold for inclusion based on the investigator's global assessment scale

Exclusion criteria

1. Systemic infection or bacterial skin infections 2. Eczema herpeticum 3. Evidence of suppression of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis 4. Non-English or Non-Spanish speaking

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Efficacy of 0.1% Triamcinolone Containing Wet Wrap as an Ointment or as a Cream Formulation in Patients With Moderate to Severe Atopic Dermatitis3-5 daysChange in atopic dermatitis based on physician global assessment scale: 0=clear; 1=almost clear; 2=mild disease; 3=moderate disease; 4=severe disease; 5- very severe disease Lower scores represent a better outcome.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Patient Reported Efficacy3-5 daysPatient report of which topical steroid formulation was more effective

Other

MeasureTime frameDescription
Number of Patients Adhering to Treatment Protocol3-5 daysPatient-reported adherence to wet-wrap protocol. Medication logs were used to evaluate adherence to the treatment protocol for both steroid formulations. Patents were determined to be adhering to the protocol if the number of wet-wraps for each study arm (cream or ointment) were the same. Because the total number of wraps varied between patients (the protocol required 1-2 wraps per day for 3-5 days), we reviewed medication logs to determine that each patient completed an equivalent number of ointment and cream wraps.

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Ointment Right/Cream Left
Pt. will use 0.1% triamcinolone OINTMENT with wet-wrap dressing on right side and 0.1% triamcinolone CREAM with wet-wrap dressing on left side of bilateral flare of atopic dermatitis twice daily as instructed. 0.1% triamcinolone CREAM: Patients will be asked to apply a topical steroid in a cream formulation to one extremity using the wet wrap technique. 0.1% triamcinolone OINTMENT: Patients will be asked to apply a topical steroid in a ointment formulation to one extremity using the wet wrap technique.
22
Ointment Left/Cream Right
Pt. will use 0.1% triamcinolone OINTMENT with wet-wrap dressing on left side and 0.1% triamcinolone CREAM with wet-wrap dressing on right side of bilateral flare of atopic dermatitis twice daily as instructed. 0.1% triamcinolone CREAM: Patients will be asked to apply a topical steroid in a cream formulation to one extremity using the wet wrap technique. 0.1% triamcinolone OINTMENT: Patients will be asked to apply a topical steroid in a ointment formulation to one extremity using the wet wrap technique.
17
Total39

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicOintment Right/Cream LeftOintment Left/Cream RightTotal
Age, Categorical
<=18 years
22 Participants17 Participants39 Participants
Age, Categorical
>=65 years
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Age, Categorical
Between 18 and 65 years
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Age, Continuous8.14 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 3.88
7.29 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 3.27
7.77 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 3.61
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Hispanic or Latino
11 Participants9 Participants20 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Not Hispanic or Latino
11 Participants8 Participants19 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
5 Participants0 Participants5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
2 Participants6 Participants8 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
1 Participants0 Participants1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
1 Participants0 Participants1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
13 Participants11 Participants24 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
22 participants17 participants39 participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
12 Participants13 Participants25 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
10 Participants4 Participants14 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 390 / 39
other
Total, other adverse events
0 / 390 / 39
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 390 / 39

Outcome results

Primary

Efficacy of 0.1% Triamcinolone Containing Wet Wrap as an Ointment or as a Cream Formulation in Patients With Moderate to Severe Atopic Dermatitis

Change in atopic dermatitis based on physician global assessment scale: 0=clear; 1=almost clear; 2=mild disease; 3=moderate disease; 4=severe disease; 5- very severe disease Lower scores represent a better outcome.

Time frame: 3-5 days

Population: Patients ages 3 to 17 experiencing a symmetric, bilateral flare of atopic dermatitis.

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
CreamEfficacy of 0.1% Triamcinolone Containing Wet Wrap as an Ointment or as a Cream Formulation in Patients With Moderate to Severe Atopic Dermatitis0.717 units on a scaleStandard Deviation 0.65
OintmentEfficacy of 0.1% Triamcinolone Containing Wet Wrap as an Ointment or as a Cream Formulation in Patients With Moderate to Severe Atopic Dermatitis0.589 units on a scaleStandard Deviation 0.64
p-value: 0.22Wilcoxon (Mann-Whitney)
Secondary

Patient Reported Efficacy

Patient report of which topical steroid formulation was more effective

Time frame: 3-5 days

Population: Patients ages 3 to 17 experiencing a symmetric, bilateral flare of atopic dermatitis.

ArmMeasureCategoryValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
CreamPatient Reported EfficacyCream9 Participants
CreamPatient Reported EfficacyNo Difference14 Participants
CreamPatient Reported EfficacyOintment16 Participants
Other Pre-specified

Number of Patients Adhering to Treatment Protocol

Patient-reported adherence to wet-wrap protocol. Medication logs were used to evaluate adherence to the treatment protocol for both steroid formulations. Patents were determined to be adhering to the protocol if the number of wet-wraps for each study arm (cream or ointment) were the same. Because the total number of wraps varied between patients (the protocol required 1-2 wraps per day for 3-5 days), we reviewed medication logs to determine that each patient completed an equivalent number of ointment and cream wraps.

Time frame: 3-5 days

Population: Patients ages 3 to 17 experiencing a symmetric, bilateral flare of atopic dermatitis.

ArmMeasureValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
CreamNumber of Patients Adhering to Treatment Protocol39 Participants

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026