Skin Rashes Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Skin Rashes, including details on dermatitis, itches, creams, medication, treatment.

The effect of encasings on quality of life in adult house dust mite allergic patients with rhinitis, asthma and/or atopic dermatitis.

Terreehorst I, Duivenvoorden HJ, Tempels-Pavlica Z, Oosting AJ, de Monchy JG, Bruijnzeel-Koomen CA, van Wijk RG

Department of Allergology, Erasmus Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

BACKGROUND: Environmental control has been put forward as an integral part of the management of house dust mite (HDM) allergy in sensitized patients. To validate this statement allergic disorders involved in HDM allergy--allergic asthma, rhinitis and atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome (AEDS)--should be taken together and studied in terms of the efficacy of environmental control. Because a generic quality of life questionnaire exceeds the border of disease, this may be used as major outcome parameter. RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of bedding encasings in HDM allergic patients with asthma, rhinitis and AEDS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 224 adult HDM allergic patients with rhinitis and/or asthma and/or dermatitis were randomly allocated impermeable or nonimpermeable encasings for mattress, pillow and duvet. Short form 36 (SF-36) was filled in at baseline and after 12 months. Results: Lower physical (P = 0.01) and emotional (P < 0.001) sumscores were seen in females. Also, the presence of asthma resulted in lower physical sumscore (P = 0.01). However, no effect was seen of encasings on either sumscore. CONCLUSION: Bedding encasings do not improve quality of life in a mixed population of subjects with combinations with rhinitis, asthma and atopic dermatitis and sensitized to HDMs.

Published 3 June 2005 in Allergy, 60(7): 888-93.
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