Painful itching for people with eczema could be treated with an injection, a study has found.

Scratching itches leads to the cycle worsening – and currently patients with eczema have to apply steroid creams on a daily basis.

Around one in five children suffers from eczema, which can last into adulthood.

Painful itching for people with eczema could be treated with an injection, a study has found. The jab neutralises a protein in the blood that causes sufferers' skin to itch

Skin itching in people with eczema is thought to be caused by high levels of a protein in the blood and skin called interleukin-31 (IL31).

The injection contains an antibody, CIM331, which binds to IL31 and neutralises it.

In a test on human volunteers, patients either received injections of CIM331 or a placebo.

In the eczema patients, the patients on 0.0003mg per kilo of weight improved by 24 per cent and those on 3mg per kg improved by 33 per cent, compared to a nine per cent reduction in those given the placebo.

After four weeks, the self-rated itching was assessed as 45 per cent and 50 per cent better in the CIM331 group, depending on the size of the dose, compared to 20 per cent in the placebo group.

Patients who received CIM331 also slept better, and reduced the need for steroid creams.

Nina Goad of the British Association of Dermatologists said: ‘With eczema, if you can break the itch-scratch cycle, then half the battle is won.

‘Itch is not only a deeply unpleasant effect of eczema, but scratching actually makes the disease worse. Reducing the itch will allow the skin to heal, help patients to sleep better and to get back control of their lives.

‘The mainstay of current treatment involves creams applied to the skin, many times a day, which can be messy and impractical. The study showed that patients using the drug did not need to rely so much on topical medications.

‘The drug is not ready to go on the market yet, but in terms of first steps, this is a very positive one.’

Reducing the itch will allow the skin to heal, help patients to sleep better and to get back control of their lives, according to dermatologists (file photo)

The test was carried out on 24 Japanese and Caucasian patients and there were no adverse effects.

Eczema has no single known cause but defects in the body’s immune system (which normally fights off disease) and the skin ‘barrier’ (the protection provided by the skin’s outermost layer) are both thought to play a part.

The research was led by Kita-Jo Kojinkai, of the Naika-Hifuka Clinic in Hokkaido, Japan.

The exact cause of atopic eczema is unknown. It often occurs in people who get allergies – ‘atopic’ means sensitivity to allergen – and can develop alongside other conditions such as hay fever and asthma.

Sometimes triggers such as soap, detergents and stress can trigger the onset of eczema, especially in young children.