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Topically applied sunflower seed oil prevents invasive bacterial infections in preterm infants in Egypt: a
Gary L Darmstadt1, Nadia Badrawi, Paul A Law
1Department of International Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. gdarmsta@jhsph.edu
Insights
Topical sunflower seed oil significantly improved skin condition and reduced nosocomial infections in preterm infants. This low-cost intervention shows promise for improving neonatal outcomes in developing countries.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Dermatology
- Infectious disease prevention
Background:
- Limited therapeutic options for neonatal infections in developing countries necessitate innovative prevention strategies.
- Topical skin barrier enhancement may improve outcomes for vulnerable preterm, low birth weight infants with compromised skin barriers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of topical sunflower seed oil on skin condition, nosocomial infections, and mortality in preterm infants.
Main Methods:
- Preterm infants (<34 weeks gestational age) received topical sunflower seed oil three times daily.
- Skin condition, rates of nosocomial infections, and mortality were monitored.
Main Results:
- Sunflower seed oil treatment significantly improved infant skin condition (P = 0.037).
- A significant reduction in nosocomial infections was observed (adjusted incidence ratio, 0.46; P = 0.007).
- No adverse events were reported with topical sunflower seed oil therapy.
Conclusions:
- Topical sunflower seed oil is a low-cost, simple intervention with a notable effect size for reducing infections in preterm infants.
- Further clinical trials with larger sample sizes are warranted to confirm its potential to reduce infections and save newborn lives in developing countries.
Background:
Because the therapeutic options for managing infections in neonates in developing countries are often limited, innovative approaches to preventing infections are needed. Topical therapy with skin barrier-enhancing products may be an effective strategy for improving neonatal outcomes, particularly among preterm, low birth weight infants whose skin barrier is temporarily but critically compromised as a result of immaturity.
Methods:
We tested the impact of topical application of sunflower seed oil 3 times daily to preterm infants <34 weeks gestational age at the Kasr El-Aini neonatal intensive care unit at Cairo University on skin condition, rates of nosocomial infections and mortality.
Results:
Treatment with sunflower seed oil (n = 51) resulted in a significant improvement in skin condition (P = 0.037) and a highly significant reduction in the incidence of nosocomial infections (adjusted incidence ratio, 0.46; 95% confidence interval, 0.26-0.81; P = 0.007) compared with infants not receiving topical prophylaxis (n = 52). There were no reported adverse events as a result of topical therapy.
Conclusions:
Given the low cost (approximately .20 dollars for a course of therapy) and technologic simplicity of the intervention and the effect size observed in this study, a clinical trial with increased numbers of subjects is indicated to evaluate the potential of topical therapy to reduce infections and save newborn lives in developing countries.
