NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Fluticasone lotion may be safely used as short-term treatment of eczema -- or more precisely, atopic dermatitis -- in children 3 months of age or older, according to a new report.

Fluticasone creams and ointments are already known to work well, but a lotion formulation may make it easier to treat young children with extensive disease and to use in difficult to treat areas, the authors explain in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Dr. Lawrence S. Eichenfield from Children's Hospital and Health Center-San Diego and colleagues investigated the efficacy and safety of a once-daily application of fluticasone 0.05 percent lotion in 438 children who were at least 3 months of age with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis.

The treatment success rate was significantly higher with fluticasone lotion (76 percent) than with placebo lotion (36 percent), the investigators report.

Similar numbers of patients in the two groups reported adverse events, which included possible treatment-related side effects. There were no reports of skin changes and no clinically significant abnormalities detected in laboratory tests, the researchers note.

The use of fluticasone lotion was limited to 4 weeks, and safety and effectiveness were not assessed for long periods of use, the team cautions. "Lotions offer good spreadability, cooling effects, moisturization, and low irritancy," the authors conclude. "These features together with the proven once-daily efficacy may make fluticasone lotion a useful addition to the range of therapies available for the treatment of atopic dermatitis."