A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO TOPICAL THERAPY IN CHILDREN

The parents of children with skin disease are often unsure how much to pical therapy, particularly of corticosteroids, they should apply The aims of this study were to devise simple guidelines on topical therapy for children, parents, doctors and nurses, and to check the accuracy of these guidelines in practice. The guidelines are based upon four pr inciples: the adult fingertip unit (FTU); the 'rule of 9s'; standard h eight and weight charts for children; and standard nomograms for calcu lating body surface area. Twenty-four children (11 boys and 13 girls) aged 6 months to 9 years 4 months with atopic eczema were recruited an d the number of FTUs required to treat different anatomical areas calc ulated in accordance with the proposed guidelines. Ointment was applie d and the number of FTUs needed for each area was recorded. The amount used was then compared with that predicted. No child required a great er number of FTUs than that predicted, and the number of FTUs predicte d for each anatomical region was accurate to within 1 FTU. The guideli nes provide a useful indication of how much topical therapy is require d for children, and advice sheets have been prepared for children of d ifferent ages.