Daily Use of Lipikar Balm AP From Birth in Infants at High Risk of Developing Atopic Dermatitis

To be eligible, pregnant women must be at least 16 weeks pregnant. Expecting mothers (or the father of the infant to be born) or related sibling of the child to be born must meet or previously have met criteria for atopic dermatitis. In addition, one of the parents or sibling of the child to be born must suffer from allergic rhinitis or asthma. Pregnant women will be randomized at screening and their infant will be seen at 1 month, 6 months, 12 months (1 year) and 24 months (2 years) after birth. Women randomized to group 1 will be requested to use the same body cleanser (Lipikar Syndet) and to apply Lipikar Balm AP to their child once daily immediately after bathing on a well blotted skin (within 3 minutes of bathing) to the entire body (including the face) from birth, while women randomized to group 2 will be in a non-interventional control group. The presence of atopic dermatitis (using Hanifin's criteria(1)) and study products use will be assessed at 1 month, 6 months, 12 months and 24 months after birth. A buccal smear will be sampled from all infants at 1 month after birth for the genotyping of filaggrin (FLG) gene. In addition, adverse events evaluation and parent questioning on infants development of food allergies and asthma will be performed at 1 month, 3 months (telephone visit), 6 months, 12 months and 24 months after birth. Infants will be followed for a total of two years after birth. Lipikar Balm AP is a commonly used cosmetic moisturizer commercially available in many countries including Canada. This moisturizer is recommended for extreme dryness and atopy-prone skin in babies, children and adults. It contains shea butter, paraffin, waxes and vegetable oils. The high content in shea butter and the fraction chosen showed a greater expression of constitutive ceramids forming the barrier function of the skin (data on file at La Roche-Posay).