Skin Care Strategies for Neonatal Jaundice Phototherapy to Prevent Atopic Dermatitis in Moderate and Severe Infants

Atopic Dermatitis (AD) is a common chronic, recurrent, and inflammatory skin disease in children. The incidence of moderate to severe AD in infants aged 1-12 months in our country is as high as 25.41%, which is related to subsequent allergic diseases and affects Children's emotions and growth. There are limited drugs that can be used for infant AD. The current guidelines recommend early use of functional skin care products to prevent and treat AD by repairing the skin barrier, moisturizing, and anti-inflammatory. Neonatal jaundice is one of the most common neonatal diseases. 20% of children with jaundice need phototherapy. It is a simple and effective method for jaundice. Studies have found that phototherapy can convert Th2 to Th1, leading to an imbalance of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory, which induces allergies. We speculate that it is of great value to take protective measures such as skin moisturizing during phototherapy for jaundice in children at high risk of allergies. This project intends to take the lead in conducting a randomized controlled study on the use of baby moisturizing products during neonatal phototherapy. Through evaluation projects such as skin microecology analysis, serum allergy indicators and AD clinical manifestations, it is verified that the use of functional skin care products in phototherapy of newborns with high allergies can delay and reduce the severity of AD in infants.

Atopic Dermatitis (AD) is a common chronic, recurrent, and inflammatory skin disease. The onset before 1 year old accounts for about 50% of all patients. The main manifestations are dry skin, chronic eczema-like dermatitis and severe itching. The incidence of AD in infants worldwide is as high as 30%. In our country, the prevalence of AD among infants aged 1-12 months is 30.48%, of which 23.97% are moderate and 1.44% are severe. Infant AD is mostly related to non-IgE-mediated food allergies. The prevalence rate of food allergy in children with moderate to severe AD under 2 years of age in our country is 49.7% confirmed by food provocation test, which seriously affects the nutritional intake and growth and development of children. Cause psychological and economic burdens on children and their families. At present, AD is considered to be a multifactorial disease, involving genetic susceptibility, immune disorders, microbial flora imbalance, environmental factors, and skin barrier function defects. Different from adults, the immune system of infants and young children is not yet mature. AD, allergic asthma and allergic rhinitis are known as the triad of children's atopic. Among them, AD is the earliest age of onset. It may be the first step in the process of allergic diseases. It is unique The pathogenesis related research is relatively limited, and there are only a handful of drugs approved for infantile AD. Therefore, the prevention of moderate to severe infantile AD should be more important than treatment.

Neonatal jaundice is one of the most common neonatal disorders. The incidence of full-term infants within one week of birth is 60%, and premature infants are as high as 80%. Among them, in order to prevent and treat bilirubin encephalopathy, children with severe neonatal hyper-indirect bilirubinemia need to receive phototherapy. The most commonly used blue light therapy in clinical practice is a simple, effective and relatively safe measure to reduce jaundice. About 20% of children with jaundice receive phototherapy. Bilirubin is an antioxidant that can neutralize free radicals produced in the body after birth. The imbalance of the body's oxidation-antioxidation mechanism may cause allergic diseases. Studies have focused on the occurrence and development of neonatal jaundice and allergic diseases. At the same time, blue light therapy is suitable for moderate to severe neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, which can cause the rapid conversion of Th2 to Th1, thereby increasing the pro-inflammatory factor tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-8 (IL- 8) and IL-1β, and reduce IL-6 and other anti-inflammatory factors, thereby exacerbating the inflammatory process and allergic diseases. Some recent studies suggest that children with neonatal jaundice are more likely to develop allergic diseases than those without jaundice, and the incidence is 14.1% higher; early-onset neonatal jaundice is positively correlated with blue light therapy in the occurrence and development of allergic diseases. Therefore, it is of great clinical significance to take protective measures to reduce or delay the occurrence of moderate to severe AD in infants and young children when blue light treatment is required for jaundice in children at high risk of allergies.

At the same time, common adverse reactions of neonatal phototherapy include skin rash, fever, diarrhea, etc., and long-term damage to the DNA of skin cells. In order to avoid damaging the health of infants, it is indeed necessary to further standardize and rationalize phototherapy. Infant functional skin care products have the functions of repairing the skin barrier, moisturizing, and anti-inflammatory, and are important basic treatment methods for children with AD. Studies have pointed out that topical moisturizers should be used as early as possible in the neonatal period to reduce and postpone the occurrence of AD. At present, only sensitive parts such as eyes, external genitalia, or vulva should be covered during phototherapy of newborns. There is no research published on skin protection measures during phototherapy.

In summary, neonatal jaundice and phototherapy due to jaundice are very likely to be related to the occurrence and development of infantile AD, and AD is the earliest allergic disease. The relevant clinical guidelines point out that the early standardized use of infant moisturizing products can reduce the occurrence of moderate to severe AD. . Therefore, this project intends to take the lead in conducting research on skin care for newborns at high risk of allergies who need phototherapy. This study is a randomized controlled study. It intends to randomly provide baby moisturizing product care for allergic high-risk newborns who need phototherapy, and verify skin moisturizing during phototherapy of allergic high-risk newborns through evaluation items such as skin microecology analysis, serum allergy indicators, and AD clinical manifestations. It is an effective measure to delay and reduce the severity of AD in infancy.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

1. Full-term newborns who were admitted to the hospital with phototherapy were treated with "neonatal hyperbilirubinemia".
2. Ask about a positive family history of allergic diseases, that is, the parents and siblings are atopic constitutions, including allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis and (or) history of AD, as well as a significant increase in IgE.
3. The guardian voluntarily followed the doctor's guidance for treatment and follow-up during the entire study period, and signed an informed consent form.
4. Exclude severe heart, brain, lung, kidney disease and fatal congenital malformations.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Those who do not meet the selection criteria or meet the exclusion criteria after review.
2. After enrollment, due to the disease, the jaundice gradually worsened to reach the indications for transfusion therapy.
3. Other skin diseases other than infant AD were diagnosed during the follow-up period.
4. Guardians voluntarily withdraw from the study.