Adjunctive Oral Iron Supplementation in Atopic Dermatitis

May 21, 2026 updated by: Eglal Adel Mostafa Bassiouny, Cairo University

Adjunctive Oral Iron Supplementation in Atopic Dermatitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The present randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effect of adjunctive oral iron supplementation on disease severity and quality of life in adolescents with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis. In addition, the study will explore whether baseline iron status modifies treatment response and whether changes in iron biomarkers correlate with improvements in clinical severity scores.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
124

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Adolescents aged 12 to 16 years.
  2. Diagnosis of atopic dermatitis according to Hanifin and Rajka or UK Working Party criteria.
  3. Mild to moderate disease defined as EASI score 1.1-7.0 for mild and 7.1-21.0 for moderate disease, according to the severity classification of Leshem et al. (2015).
  4. Stable standard-of-care topical therapy for at least two weeks prior to enrolment.
  5. Willingness to maintain baseline topical therapy throughout the study period.
  6. Written informed consent from a parent or legal guardian and assent from the participant will be obtained prior to enrolment.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Iron-related exclusions

    1. Known iron overload disorders (e.g., hereditary hemochromatosis).
    2. Ferritin above age- and sex-specific upper reference limits for adolescents (based on local laboratory pediatric reference ranges) in the absence of elevated CRP.

    3. Use of oral or intravenous iron supplementation within the previous three months.

      Hematologic exclusions

    4. Haemoglobin less than 8 g/dL. Participants excluded on this basis will be referred to the haematology clinic for evaluation and management of severe anaemia, in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki (Article 37).
    5. Known hemoglobinopathies (e.g., thalassemia major, sickle cell disease).
    6. Active bleeding or known bleeding disorders. Dermatologic exclusions
    7. Presence of other chronic inflammatory skin diseases that may interfere with assessment (e.g., psoriasis, bullous disorders).
    8. Active skin infection requiring systemic antibiotic therapy.

    9. Use of systemic treatments for atopic dermatitis, including:

      • Systemic corticosteroids
      • Immunosuppressants
      • Biologic therapies within the following washout periods: dupilumab ≥12-16 weeks; cyclosporine ≥4 weeks; methotrexate ≥4-6 weeks; systemic corticosteroids ≥2-4 weeks.

      Systemic exclusions

    10. Severe chronic illnesses that may affect study participation or safety, including:

      • Advanced kidney disease
      • Chronic liver disease
    11. Any other medical condition that, in the investigator's judgment, may interfere with study participation or outcomes.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
No Intervention: standard-of-care topical therapy (emollients and steroids)
Participants will receive standard-of-care topical therapy (emollients and steroids). Standard topical therapies for atopic dermatitis will be continued and documented.
Experimental: standard-of-care topical therapy (emollients and steroids)+ Oral Iron
Participants will receive (Ferrodunal capsules providing 100 mg elemental oral iron once daily) in addition to standard-of-care topical therapy (emollients and steroids). The 100 mg fixed dose falls within the recommended paediatric dosing range of 3-6 mg/kg/day for most adolescents weighing ≥20 kg. Iron supplementation will be discontinued if serum ferritin exceeds 300 ng/mL on two consecutive measurements.
Dietary supplement: Oral iron
Ferrodunal capsules providing 100 mg elemental oral iron once daily

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
• Change in Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) score from baseline to week 12.
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Higher scores indicate more severe atopic dermatitis, Minimum score is 0 and maximum is 72.
12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) score from baseline to weeks 6 and 12.
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Higher scores indicate more severe disease and symptoms. Maximum score is 103 and minimum is zero.
12 weeks
Change in Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI) from baseline to weeks 6 and 12.
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Higher scores indicate greater impairment in quality of life. Score from 0 to 30.
12 weeks
Change in Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM) from baselines to weeks 6 and 12.
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Higher scores indicate worse eczema symptoms. Maximum score is 28 and minimum is 0.
12 weeks
Change in EuroQol Visual Analogue Scale (EQ-VAS) from baseline to weeks 6 and 12.
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Higher scores indicate better perceived overall health. Score is from 0 to 100.
12 weeks
Change in Peak Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale (PP-NRS) from baseline to weeks 6 and 12.
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Higher scores indicate more severe itching. Score is from 0 to 10.
12 weeks
Change in serum ferritin from baseline to weeks 6 and 12.
Time Frame: 12 weeks
12 weeks
Proportion of participants achieving EASI-50, EASI-75, and EASI-90.
Time Frame: 12 weeks
12 weeks
Adverse events frequency
Time Frame: 12 weeks
12 weeks
Medication adherence will be assessed through capsule counts at each follow-up visit.
Time Frame: 12 weeks
12 weeks
Correlation between baseline iron status strata and EASI score. (exploratory outcome)
Time Frame: 12 weeks
12 weeks
Correlation between change in iron biomarkers and change in EASI score. (exploratory outcome)
Time Frame: 12 weeks
12 weeks
Change in EQ-5D-Y index score from baseline to weeks 6 and 12.
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Higher scores indicate better health-related quality of life. Usually ≤1 (can be negative in some tariffs).
12 weeks
Change in serum iron from baseline to weeks 6 and 12.
Time Frame: 12 weeks
12 weeks
Change in serum hemoglobin from baseline to weeks 6 and 12.
Time Frame: 12 weeks
12 weeks
Change in serum CRP from baseline to weeks 6 and 12.
Time Frame: 12 weeks
12 weeks
Medication adherence will be assessed through participant self-report at each follow-up visit.
Time Frame: 12 weeks
12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Cairo University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Eglal AM Bassiouny, PhD, Cairo University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
October 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
May 17, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 21, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
May 29, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 29, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 21, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • CL4181

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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