Eczema in Children

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Overview

   Atopic dermatitis, generally referred to as eczema, is the most common chronic, relapsing inflammatory skin disease in children. In the United States, an estimated 20% of children suffer from eczema, with most cases (about 85%) presenting by 5 years of age. Among chronic childhood diseases, it ranks high on the list for impaired of quality of life. Fortunately, for most individuals the condition resolves by adulthood.

   Eczema can cause considerable distress for both children and their caregivers, and considerable financial burden. This issue briefly reviews the cause and symptoms of eczema and current treatment strategies. Key management points are reviewed including the difference between treating flares and maintaining remission, skin care recommendations, and trigger avoidance. The potential role of probiotics is discussed, and the use of topical corticosteroids and the topical calcineurin inhibitors tacrolimus (Protopic^®) and pimecrolimus (Elidel^®) are discussed in detail. A comprehensive topical steroid product table categorized by potency is included. The more limited roles of antibiotics, antihistamines, phototherapy, and immunomodulators are also described.

Publication Date: Jun-1-09
Expiration Date: Jun-1-12
CE Credit: 1.5 (.15 CEU)
Type of activity: Knowledge-based

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Programs developed by The Rx Consultant are written by health care providers with expertise in the topic area, peer-reviewed, extensively edited, and fact-checked. This development process was created to insure that every program presents information that is current, accurate, relevant to "real world" health care providers, and written in an easy reading, "plain English" style.

Authors

Cynthia Chan Huang, PharmD, MBA, Drug Information Specialist, Knowledge and Content Manager, TheraDoc; Adjunct Faculty, TJ Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA. Kimmy Ngo, PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist Specialist, Ambulatory Care, Riverside Kaiser Permanente. Adjunct Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA.

Disclosure Statement

Dr. Huang and Dr. Ngo report no financial or personal relationships with any commercial interest producing, marketing, reselling or distributing a product or service that appears in this in this issue.

Editorial and Review Board

Editor and CE Administrator Terry M. Baker, PharmD Associate Editor and CE Coordinator Tracy Farnen, PharmD Associate Editors James Chan, PharmD, PhD Pharmacy Quality and Outcomes Coordinator Kaiser Permanente Oakland, CA Associate Clinical Professor School of Pharmacy University of California San Francisco San Francisco, CA Ron Finley, RPh Lecturer Department of Clinical Pharmacy University of California San Francisco San Francisco, CA Associate Member of the UCSF Memory and Aging Center Alzheimer's Research Center Consultant Pharmacist to the Institute on Aging-On Lok Senior Health Institute on Aging Alzheimer's Day Care Center Angie S. Graham, PharmD Drug Information Coordinator Stanford Hospital and Clinics Stanford University Medical Center Stanford, CA Julio R. Lopez, PharmD, FCSHP Chief of Pharmacy Service VA Northern California Health Care System Adjunct Clinical Professor College of Pharmacy Touro University Vallejo, CA Assistant Clinical Professor School of Pharmacy University of California, San Francisco San Francisco, CA

Adjunct Professor Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy University of the Pacific Stockton, CA Visiting Associate Professor and Lecturer Nursing School Samuel Merritt University Oakland, CA Pamela Mausner, MD Joshua J. Neumiller, PharmD, CDE, CGP, FASCP Assistant Professor Department of Pharmacotherapy College of Pharmacy Washington State University And Elder Services of Spokane Spokane, WA Candy Tsourounis, PharmD Professor of Clinical Pharmacy Medication Outcomes Center Department of Clinical Pharmacy School of Pharmacy University of California, San Francisco San Francisco, CA Senior Editorial Advisor Gerard Hatheway, PharmD, PhD Editorial Advisors Jocelyn Chan, PharmD Belinda M. Danielson, RPh Christopher M. DeSoto, PharmD Cynthia Chan Huang, PharmD, MBA Fred Plageman, PharmD Editorial Advisor and Clinical Practice Consultant for Nurse Practitioners Emily K. Meuleman, RN, C, MS

Accreditation Statements

The Rx Consultant is a publication of Continuing Education Network, Inc.

About the Rx Consultant

The Rx Consultant is a monthly publication dedicated to providing health care professionals with the information they need to educate patients about drugs and manage drug therapy. The reader is responsible for confirming the information presented here and interpreting it in relation to each patient's specific situation before utilizing the information.

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Target Audience

This accredited program is targeted to pharmacists and nurses.

Exam and Credit Statement Procedures

Upon successful completion of this program and the post test (70%), 1.5 hours of continuing education credit will be awarded. To receive credit and your exam score, please complete the exam questions and program evaluation.

Educational Goals and Objectives

At the conclusion of this program, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the usual appearance of eczema in children and determine appropriate strategies for prevention and treatment.
2. Counsel parents and patients on basic skin care techniques and the appropriate application of topical medications for eczema.
3. Recognize the common triggers for eczema flare-ups.
4. List side effects and monitoring parameters for drugs used in the treatment of eczema.