Early Emollient Therapy Linked to Lower Atopic Dermatitis Prevalence at Age 5
Key Takeaways
Early emollient therapy was associated with lower atopic dermatitis (AD) prevalence at age 5 years among children at high risk for AD.
AD prevalence was 12.3% in the emollient group versus 24.0% in controls, with lower disease severity among affected children receiving the intervention.
The findings extend earlier STOP-AD results showing reduced AD incidence during infancy following an 8-week skin barrier intervention, according to the authors.
Early, short-term emollient therapy initiated shortly after birth was associated with lower atopic dermatitis (AD) prevalence and severity at age 5 years among high-risk children, according to long-term findings from the STOP-AD randomized controlled trial published in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology.¹
The findings extend earlier STOP-AD results showing reduced AD incidence during infancy following an 8-week skin barrier intervention, according to the authors.
Five-Year STOP-AD Trial Results
The single-center, randomized controlled trial enrolled term infants at high risk for AD. Within 4 days of birth, participants were randomized to twice-daily, whole-body emollient application for 8 weeks or standard routine skin care.
A total of 177 children completed blinded, in-person clinical assessments at the five-year timepoint. Investigators evaluated AD prevalence using UK Working Party Diagnostic Criteria and disease severity using the Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index. The primary endpoint was AD point prevalence at age 5 years.
AD prevalence was 12.3% in the intervention group compared with 24.0% in controls (relative risk, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.26 to 1.02; P = 0.048). Among children diagnosed with AD, median SCORAD scores were lower following early emollient treatment (12.0 vs 19.6; P = 0.034). Multiple imputation addressing missing follow-up data yielded a similar effect estimate (odds ratio, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.19 to 1.03; P = 0.060).
"Early, short-term emollient use initiated in the neonatal period was associated with lower AD prevalence and severity at 5 years in high-risk children," the authors wrote. "Although the effect estimate remained similar following multiple imputation, uncertainty due to attrition remained. These findings suggest that brief early-life barrier support may influence longer-term AD outcomes and support further investigation of the timing and formulation of preventive skin-barrier interventions."
Source
Cremin ML, et al. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2026;37(11):e70517. Doi:10.1111/pai.70517