The Efficacy and the Safety of Hae-Un-Dae Spa Therapy for the Treatment of Adult Atopic Dermatitis

Shim, Woo Haing; Ko, Hyun Chang; Kim, Byung Soo; Kim, Moon Bum; Min, Jung Ah; Kim, Jin Wou

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Spa therapy is widely used in many countries for the treatment of atopic dermatitis. There have been some reports about the therapeutic efficacies and mechanisms of spa therapy for the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD) from other countries, but there have been no such reports from Korea.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to investigate the therapeutic efficacy and the safety of Hae-Un-Dae spa therapy for adult AD patients.
METHODS
A total of 15 patients with AD were recruited in this study. The patients were classified into the mild group (n=5) and severe group (n=10) according to their eczema area and severity index (EASI) score at baseline. They had a bath in a Hae-Un-Dae spa three times per week for 4 weeks. To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy, the EASI score, the physician's global assessment (PGA) and the visual analogue scale (VAS) for pruritus were assessed every week. The skin hydration, the skin pH and the transepidermal water loss (TEWL) were also measured weekly to investigate the changes of the skin barrier function during the spa therapy.
RESULTS
Compared to baseline, the EASI scores of the total group and the severe group decreased at 2, 3 and 4 weeks. Furthermore, the VAS for pruritus of the total group and the severe group was also decreased. Among the factors of the skin barrier function, the skin pH decreased in the mild group and it increased in the severe group during the spa therapy. Of the 15 patients, one patient experienced exacerbation of symptoms and two patients reported a transient pickling sensation during the spa therapy.
CONCLUSION
Our study suggests that Hae-Un-Dae spa therapy could be an effective and safe modality for the management of adult AD, yet more studies should be performed to determine the therapeutic mechanism.