Antibiotics of no benefit to children with eczema and features of cutaneous infection but controversy remains unresolved

Eczema poses substantial adverse impact on the quality of life of patients and their families. Although most patients have cutaneous Staphylococcus aureus colonisation, the relationship between S. aureus and eczema flares remains unclear. Oral and topical antibiotics are widely prescribed to treat clinically infected eczema despite the lack of high-quality evidence to justify this practice. This multicentre randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (RDBPCT) examined whether antibiotics confer benefits to these patients.


Evid Based Med 2016;21:179 doi:10.1136/ebmed-2016-110457. Access using your Athens username and password.