Cairo, Nov 6 (IANS): Researchers have revealed that vitamin D supplementation eased the symptoms experienced by children with severe atopic dermatitis or eczema -- a condition wherein patches of skin become inflamed, itchy, cracked and rough.

The study, published in the journal Pharmacology Research & Perspectives, aimed to evaluate the impact of vitamin D supplementation on response to standard treatment in pediatrics with severe atopic dermatitis.

"Vitamin D supplementation could be an effective adjuvant treatment that improves the clinical outcomes in severe atopic dermatitis," said study authors from Mansoura University in Egypt.

Investigators reported on the results of 86 patients with the inflammatory skin condition who completed the trial and received either oral daily vitamin D or placebo, in addition to standard care, for 12 weeks.

The findings showed that oral Vitamin D supplement reduced the skin colonization and demonstrated clinical improvement in children with moderate eczema.

Similarly, oral Vitamin D supplementation has been shown to improve winter-related atopic dermatitis symptoms.

One limitation of the study is that the study population was comprised of patients with limited ethnic diversity, potentially restricting its generalizability. Future studies on more diverse populations are needed.

Another limitation, lack of data from other important domains, such as patient reported outcomes.

In conclusion, the study suggests that oral daily Vitamin D supplement might provide clinical improvement in children with severe atopic dermatitis.

"More investigations are needed to reveal factors associated with superior clinical outcomes in some supplemented patients," the study authors wrote.