gamma-linolenic-acid and Eczema

Eczema is a chronic inflammatory skin condition, which usually develops in early childhood. Many children outgrow this disorder as they reach secondary school age, and although It may improve with age, there is no cure. Constant itch makes life uncomfortable for those with this condition, no matter what age they are, so it may have a significant effect on a person's quality of life. Its prevalence seems to be increasing as populations move from rural locations to cities. Some people, who do not see an adequate improvement or fear side-effects of conventional medical products, try complementary alternatives to conventional treatment. This is a review of evening primrose oil (EPO) and borage oil (BO) taken orally (by mouth); these have been thought to be beneficial because of their gamma-linolenic acid content.. To assess the effects of oral evening primrose oil or borage oil for treating the symptoms of atopic eczema.. We searched the following databases up to August 2012: Cochrane Skin Group Specialised Register, CENTRAL in The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE (from 1946), EMBASE (from 1974), AMED (from 1985), and LILACS (from 1982). We also searched online trials registers and checked the bibliographies of included studies for further references to relevant trials. We corresponded with trial investigators and pharmaceutical companies to try to identify unpublished and ongoing trials. We performed a separate search for adverse effects of evening primrose oil and borage oil in November 2011.. All randomised controlled, parallel, or cross-over trials investigating oral intake of evening primrose oil or borage oil for eczema.. Two review authors independently applied eligibility criteria, assessed risk of bias, and extracted data. We pooled dichotomous outcomes using risk ratios (RR), and continuous outcomes using the mean difference (MD). Where possible, we pooled study results using random-effects meta-analysis and tested statistical heterogeneity using both the Chi(²) test and the I(²) statistic test. We presented results using forest plots with 95% confidence intervals (CI).. A total of 27 studies (1596 participants) met the inclusion criteria: 19 studies assessed evening primrose oil, and 8 studies assessed borage oil. For EPO, a meta-analysis of results from 7 studies showed that EPO failed to significantly increase improvement in global eczema symptoms as reported by participants on a visual analogue scale of 0 to 100 (MD -2.22, 95% CI -10.48 to 6.04, 176 participants, 7 trials) and a visual analogue scale of 0 to 100 for medical doctors (MD -3.26, 95% CI -6.96 to 0.45, 289 participants, 8 trials) compared to the placebo group.Treatment with BO also failed to significantly improve global eczema symptoms compared to placebo treatment as reported by both participants and medical doctors, although we could not conduct a meta-analysis as studies reported results in different ways. With regard to the risk of bias, the majority of studies were of low risk of bias; we judged 67% of the included studies as having low risk of bias for random sequence generation; 44%, for allocation concealment; 59%, for blinding; and 37%, for other biases.. Oral borage oil and evening primrose oil lack effect on eczema; improvement was similar to respective placebos used in trials. Oral BO and EPO are not effective treatments for eczema.In these studies, along with the placebos, EPO and BO have the same, fairly common, mild, transient adverse effects, which are mainly gastrointestinal.The short-term studies included here do not examine possible adverse effects of long-term use of EPO or BO. A case report warned that if EPO is taken for a prolonged period of time (more than one year), there is a potential risk of inflammation, thrombosis, and immunosuppression; another study found that EPO may increase bleeding for people on Coumadin® (warfarin) medication.. Noting that the confidence intervals between active and placebo treatment are narrow, to exclude the possibility of any clinically useful difference, we concluded that further studies on EPO or BO for eczema would be hard to justify.This review does not provide information about long-term use of these products.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Adult; Child; Dermatitis, Atopic; Dermatologic Agents; Eczema; gamma-Linolenic Acid; Humans; Linoleic Acids; Oenothera biennis; Plant Oils; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

The essential fatty acid deficiency (EFA) gives rise to many pathologic states and may predispose for certain disease development. One of the most frequently deficient EFA is gamma-linolenic acid. The gamma-linolenic acid supplementation brings some hopeful effects in treatment of diabetic neuropathy, eczema, cyclic mastalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis and ADHD. Many double blind trials have been performed for defective assessment of GLA efficiency. Some of them have proved statistically significant efficacy, the others have led to some doubts. There is a necessity to perform more trials. The gamma-linolenic acid is completely safe, non-toxic, and non-cancerogenic substance. It can be an interesting alternative for supporting treatment.

Topics: Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Diabetic Neuropathies; Dietary Supplements; Eczema; gamma-Linolenic Acid; Humans; Osteoporosis; Treatment Outcome

Patients with atopic eczema and a mixture of allergic illnesses show biochemical evidence suggesting impairment in the desaturation of linoleic acid and linolenic acid by the enzyme delta-6 dehydrogenase. Consequences of this enzyme defect are 1) diminished synthesis of the 20-carbon polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are prostaglandin precursors and 2) a reduction in the concentration of double bonds in the cell membrane. A distortion in the production of prostaglandins and leukotrienes, which might result from this block, can account for the immunological defects of atopy and a variety of clinical symptoms experienced by atopic individuals. Dietary supplementation with essential fatty acids relieves the signs and symptoms of atopic eczema, may improve other types of allergic inflammation, and may also correct coexisting symptoms as diverse as excessive thirst and dysmenorrhea. Further research is suggested to test the hypothesis that some atopic states represent a condition of essential fatty acid dependency owing to defective desaturation of dietary fatty acids.

Topics: Adult; alpha-Linolenic Acid; Cardiac Complexes, Premature; Child; Delta-5 Fatty Acid Desaturase; Dietary Fats; Eczema; Encopresis; Enuresis; Fatty Acid Desaturases; Fatty Acids, Essential; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; Female; Food, Fortified; gamma-Linolenic Acid; Humans; Hypersensitivity; Linoleic Acid; Linoleic Acids; Linolenic Acids; Linoleoyl-CoA Desaturase; Linseed Oil; Male; Middle Aged; Oenothera biennis; Plant Oils; Prostaglandins; Thirst

Topics: Dermatologic Agents; Eczema; Fatty Acids, Essential; gamma-Linolenic Acid; Humans; Linoleic Acids; Oenothera biennis; Plant Oils

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Child; Child, Preschool; Clinical Trials as Topic; Double-Blind Method; Eczema; Fatty Acids, Essential; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; gamma-Linolenic Acid; Humans; Infant; Linoleic Acids; Oenothera biennis; Oils; Plant Oils

Topics: Eczema; gamma-Linolenic Acid; Humans; Linoleic Acids; Oenothera biennis; Plant Oils; Treatment Outcome