Abstract
Our experience of salt water therapy for intractable, severe atopic dermatitis suggested an antipruritic effect of this treatment. To confirm the efficacy of salt water therapy, a comparative study was thus performed in patients with bilateral forearm lesions treated with salt water on one side and with pure water on the other side. The extent of itching was evaluated and classified into 10 grades using a visual analogue scale (VAS) method. The itching score was 5.05±1.53 before therapy. After a four-week treatment, it became 2.79±2.35 on the salt water side and 3.90±2.20 on the pure water side. Compared with the value before therapy, the score significantly decreased on both sides. There were also significant differences in the score between the salt water side and pure water side at two and four weeks of therapy. Clinical findings suggested this treatment to be effective for acute eruptions but it also tended to be less useful for more chronic skin lesions. We conclude that salt water therapy has antipruritic and cleaning effects and it is therefore worth attempting in the treatment of acute eruptions as an ancillary therapy for refractory itching.
