Coated textiles for skin infections
- Resource Type
- Authors
- A.U. Freiburghaus; T.M. Kündig; G. Senti
- Source
- Subject
- medicine.medical_specialty
integumentary system
business.industry
Atopic dermatitis
Skin infection
medicine.disease
Antimicrobial
medicine.disease_cause
Dermatology
body regions
Staphylococcus aureus
Medicine
Itching
Microbial colonization
medicine.symptom
business
Excessive scratching
Skin damage
- Language
This chapter gives an overview of the current developments in anti-infectious textiles used for patients prone to skin infections. Clinical data are available for the common condition of atopic dermatitis (eczema), which predominantly affects children and young adults. The clinical picture of atopic dermatitis is dominated by pruritus (itching) and ensuing skin damage from excessive scratching. The self-inflicted cutaneous wounds and a genetic predisposition towards an impaired barrier function of the skin promote infections with ubiquitous germs, such as Staphylococcus aureus. Clothes in contact with eczematous skin may promote microbial growth. Clothes made from fibres coated with anti-infectious compounds appear to reduce microbial colonization and improve symptoms in atopic dermatitis. Various types of fibres and coatings are described. The rather scant clinical evidence for their effectiveness is reviewed. Commercially available anti-infectious garments are made from fibres coated with immobilized or adsorbed silver or a quaternary ammonium base. Another clinical use of anti-infectious textiles on skin are wound dressings. No clinical trials have been published for antimicrobial textile wound dressings, but in vitro tests provide evidence of diminished microbial growth in wounds covered with such pads.