GB2504666A

GB2504666A - Garments for sufferers of eczema, atopic dermatitis or psoriasis

Info

Publication number: GB2504666A
Application number: GB1213026.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Hemang Badiani; George Petrovaj
Original assignee: CLINISUPPLIES Ltd
Current assignee: CLINISUPPLIES Ltd
Priority date: 2012-07-23
Filing date: 2012-07-23
Publication date: 2014-02-12
Anticipated expiration: 2032-07-23
Also published as: GB2504666B; GB201213026D0

Abstract

A garment for use by a subject suffering from eczema, atopic dermatitis or psoriasis is formed from one or more pieces of knitted fabric, each comprising at least 90% by weight of lyocell fibres, wherein each piece of knitted fabric or the garment has been treated with a quaternary ammonium siloxane antimicrobial compound. The knitted fabric preferably comprises from 95 to 99% by weight of treated lyocell fibres and from 3 to 5% by weight of elastane fibres. The garment may be a sleep suit for an infant, a pair of underpants, a vest, night wear, socks, gloves, headgear, leggings or pantyhose. Also disclosed is a process for making the garment of the invention.

Description

A GARMENT

This invention relates to a dermatological garment and in particular a garment intended to be worn by people sufferering from eczema, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis and related skin conditions.

Background of the Invention

Eczema is a chronic skin condition chaiacterised by various symptoms including redness, skin oedema, itching and dryness, crusting, flaking, blistering, cracking, oozing, or bleeding. It has been estimated that one in every nine people in England has been diagnosed with the disease by a clinician at some point in their lives.

Atopic eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is the most common form of eczema. It mainly affects children, but can continue into adulthood. Atopic eczema commonly occurs in areas with folds of skin such as behind the knees, on the front of the elbows, on the side of the neck and around the eyes and ears.

The exact cause of atopic eczema is unknown but it often occurs in people who suffer from allergies. Atopic eczema can run in families and is often found alongside other conditions such as asthma and hay fever.

It has been estimated that about one in five children in the UK has eczema and it has been found that in 8 out of 10 cases, atopic eczema occurs before a child reaches five years of age with many children developing the condition before their first birthday.

A person suffeiing from atopic eczema typically has peiiods when symptoms aie less noticeable! and flare-ups when symptoms become more severe and require additional treatment. Atopic eczema often clears up or significantly improves as children get older and it has been found that in about 53% of cases, atopic eczema clears up by the time a child ieaches 11 years of age, and in about 65% of cases it clears up by 16 years of age.

Many diffeient tieatments have been used to control the symptoms of eczema and manage the condition. The commonly used treatments involve the use of emollients and topically applied corticosteroids such as hydrocortisone and clobetasone butyrate. However, the long term use of corticosteroids can lead to a number of undesirable side effects.

Other treatments include the use of antihistamines (to combat severe itching), oral corticosteroids (where symptoms are very severe), antibiotics (for infected eczema) and topical calcineurin inhibitors, such as pimecrolimus and tacrolimus which act as immunosuppressants.

Scratching in response to itching can lead to infection and skin thickening and therefore it is highly desirable to avoid skin irritation and stimuli that may lead to scratching.

People who suffer from eczema often develop itching and irritation when their skin comes into contact with certain fabrics. As a result, eczema sufferers are often encouraged to wear cotton clothing and use cotton bedsheets and towels rather than clothing and other articles made from wool and synthetic materials such as polyester.

Lyocell is a regenerated cellulose fibre formed by the solvent spinning of solutions of cellulose dissolved in N-methylmorpholine N-oxide. The cellulose used for lyocell is obtained from high quality wood pulps from which lignin and other non-cellulosic materials have been removed. Lyocell was first made commercially available as a type of rayon in 1991 and is currently manufactured by Lenzing AG of Lenzing, Austria, under the brand name "Lyocell by Lenzing", and under the brand name "Tencel" by the Tencel group, now owned by Lenzing AG.

Numerous modifications to the process for making lyocell fibres have been proposed, see for example U54246221 (Akzona) and WO2009/006206

(Weyerhauser) and the references cited therein.

Lyocell fibres have previously been suggested for use in garments intended for use by sufferers from eczema and W02005126424 (Lenzing) discloses the use of lyocell fibres as a therapeutic adjunct in the treatment of skin diseases such as atopic eczema and psoriasis.

Lyocell fibres having antimicrobial activity are disclosed in W020091006206. An antimicrobial agent, which can be an organic or inorganic antimicrobial compound, is included in the solution of cellulose before spinning. Quaternary ammonium compounds are mentioned as examples of organic antimicrobial agents but the preferred and exemplified antimicrobial agents are zinc and silver. The antimicrobial fibres are disclosed as being useful in a wide range of products including textiles and garments of various types. However, there is no reference to the use of the fibres for garments intended to be worn by sufferers from eczema and related conditions.

W020121014762 (Matsumoto Yushiseiyaku) discloses methods for preparing antibacterial fibres such as cellulose fibres impregnated with a quaternary ammonium siloxane compound.

US461 5937 (James River Corporation) discloses antibacterial wet wipes comprising a non-woven web impregnated with a quaternary ammonium siloxane compound such as 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyldidecylmethyl ammonium salts and 3- (trimethoxysilyl)propyloctadecylmethyl ammonium salts. No mention is made of the use of the wipes in the context of people suffering from eczema and related skin diseases.

US2O1O/0115706 (Sanitized) discloses the treatment of synthetic fibres with quaternary ammonium compounds to impart antibacterial properties to the fibres which can then be used for a wide variety of products such as clothing and bedding. A main purpose of providing the fibres with antibacterial activity seems to be to prevent the malodour that can result from perspiration. There is no mention of the use of the fibres in garments intended for use with people suffering from eczema.

U5637696 and its European equivalent EP1194434 (both to Clariant) disclose methods for preparing quaternary ammonium siloxane formulations for treating fibres, yarns or fabrics such as cotton, nylon, polyester, wool or mixtures of the foregoing with polyolefin fibres such as polypropylene to impart antimicrobial activity to the fibres, yarns or fabrics. There is no suggestion that the formulations can be used to treat lyocell fibres or that treated fibres, yarns or fabrics can be used for garments intended to be worn by sufferers from eczema and related conditions.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention provides a garment intended to be worn by subjects suffering from eczema and related skin conditions. The garment alleviates at least some of the symptoms of the eczema or related condition and assists in the management of the condition.

The garment of the present invention is made from fabric knitted from a yarn formed from lyocell fibres and is treated with a quaternary animonium siloxane antimicrobial compound. By using knitted fabric rather than woven fabric, the number of seams can be kept to a minimum thereby reducing the likelihood of irritation. A further benefit of using a knitted fabric is that the more open structure of the fabric compared with woven fabrics means that ventilation is improved.

The lyocell fabric has a smooth finish and has a very low degree of fibrillation thereby further preventing irritation to the underlying skin. The knitted lyocell fabric also provides very effective moisture management in that it removes excess moisture from the immediate vicinity of the skin thereby preventing or reducing discomfort due to the presence of damp material against the skin. However, the lyocell also has the ability to retain moisture thereby helping prevent the skin from drying out.

The quaternary ammonium siloxane antimicrobial compound prevents or restricts the growth of bacteria on the garment. By using the quaternary ammonium siloxane antimicrobial compound, rather than other antimicrobial substances, the fabric retains its hydrophilic properties and the moisture management properties are substantially unaffected. A further benefit of using the quaternary ammonium siloxane antimicrobial compound is that it survives laundering and remains on the fabric after multiple washes. For example, garments of the invention can withstand from 70 to 100 washes without any significant loss of antimicrobial activity The combination of beneficial properties provided by the treated knitted fabrics discussed above means that the garments of the invention are very comfortable to wear and are essentially non-irritating to the wearer. Furthermore the garments can assist in alleviating or suppressing at least some of the symptoms associated with eczema, such as redness, skin oedema, itching and dryness, crusting, flaking, blistering, cracking and bleeding.

Accordingly, in a first aspect, the invention provides a garment for use by a subject suffering from eczema, atopic dermatitis or psoriasis; the garment being formed from one or more pieces of knifted fabric; each piece of knitted fabric comprising at least 90% by weight of lyocell fibres, and wherein each said piece of knitted fabric, or the garment formed from the knitted fabric, has been treated with a quaternary ammonium siloxane antimicrobial compound.

The garments of the invention are formed from one or more pieces of knitted fabric and thus are distinguished from garments made from woven fabrics or non-woven fabrics.

The garments are typically formed by circular knitting of a yarn formed from the lyocell fibres to form a knitted seamless tube. The seamless tube of knitted fabric is then cut and appropriately shaped and sized pieces of the knitted fabric are joined (e.g. sewn) together to form the garment.

It is preferred that any seams between joined pieces of knitted fabric are flat seams. In a flat seam, two pieces of fabric are joined edge-to edge with no overlap and are sewn with stitching that encloses the edges of the pieces of fabric.

For use with sufferers from eczema, atopic dermatitis and psoriasis, the garments are designed to be close fitting but not tight. In order that the garments can conform more closely to the contours of the wearer's body, the knitted fabric typically contains a small amount of elastic fibre (for example up to about 8% of by weight of elastic fibres based on the total amount of fibre).

One type of elastic tibre suitable for use in the knitted fabrics of the invention is elastane fibres. Elastane, often referred to as spandex" is an elastic fibre formed by spinning a polyurethane-polyurea copolymer. The fibres are widely available commercially.

Typically, the knitted fabric comprises from 95% to 99% by weight of treated lyocell fibres and from 5% to 1% by weight of elastane fibres.

More particularly, the knitted fabric comprises from 95% to 97% by weight of treated lyocell fibres and from 5% to 3% by weight of elastane fibres.

The quaternary ammonium siloxane compound may be present in an amount corresponding to 0.25% to 1% by weight relative to the total weight of the knitted fabric. At such concentrations, the quaternary ammonium siloxane provides a potent antimicrobial effect but does not adversely affect other properties of the lyocell.

More typically, the quaternary ammonium siloxane compound is present in an amount corresponding to 0.4% to 0.8% by weight relative to the total weight of the knitted fabric.

For example, the quaternary ammonium siloxane compound may be present in an amount corresponding to 0.5% to 0.7% by weight relative to the total weight of the knitted fabric.

The antimicrobial quaternary siloxane compound contains a group N(Alk)4 in which "Alk" is an alkyl group. At least one of the alkyl groups is a long chain alkyl group and may contain from 8 to 20 carbon atoms and the remaining alkyl groups are shorter in length and may contain, for example, from one to four carbon atoms.

One of the shorter chain alkyl groups Alk is linked to a siloxane group, i.e. a group of the formula -Si(OAIk')3 wherein Alk' is an alkyl group, typically a short chain alkyl group of one to four carbon atoms.

One class of quaternary ammonium siloxane compounds suitable for use in the present invention is the class of compounds represented by the formula (1): CH3 RbO_Si_(CH2)rNR2 OR1 13

R

wherein R1 is C14 alkyl; R2 is C820 alkyl; R3 is methyl or C320a1ky1; and X is chloride or bromide.

Such compounds can be prepared by the methods disclosed in US6376696 and EP1 194434 (Both to Clariant).

In one embodiment, R1 is C alkyl; R2 is C820 alkyl; R3 is methyl; and X is chloride or bromide.

A particular quaternary ammonium siloxane compound for use in the garments of the present invention is a compound of formula (1) wherein S1 is methyl; S2 is C14 alkyl; 3 is methyl; and X is chloride or bromide. This compound is commercially available from Sanitized AG of Burgdorf, Switzerland, under the trade name T99-19.

The garments of the invention are typically garments that are intended to be worn next to the skin. Thus, for example, they can be undergarments such as underpants and vests (singlets); or they can be garments such as sleep-suits (e.g. for infants); night wear (e.g. pyjamas or nightdresses); socks; gloves; headgear (e.g. hats such as balaclava hats); leggings or pantyhose.

In one particular embodiment the garment is a sleep-suit for infants.

In another aspect, the invention provides a process for making a garment as defined herein, which process comprises knitting one or more pieces of fabric from a yarn comprising fibres at least 90% by weight of which are lyocell fibres, and (i) treating the piece of knitted fabric with the quaternary ammonium siloxane antimicrobial compound and forming the garment from one or more pieces of the knitted fabric; or (ii) forming the garment from one or more pieces of the knitted fabric and treating the garment with the quaternary ammonium siloxane antimicrobial compound.

The pieces of fabric or the complete garment are typically treated with the quaternary ammonium siloxane antimicrobial compound by padding the knitted fabric in a solution of the compound and then drying, e.g. at a temperature of 15000 for e.g. 2 minutes.

Examples

The invention will now be illustrated, but not limited, by reference to the following

Example.

Example 1

A Child's Sleeping Suit A yarn comprising 96% by weight Tencel® lyocell fibres and 4% by weight Roica® elastane fibres (available from Asahi Kasei Fibers Corporation, Osaka, Japan) is knitted to foim 75 cm diameter tubular fabric using an Orizio circulai knitting machine in gauge 36E.

On a second circular knitting machine, the same grade of yarn is used to knit lengths of tubular fabric of 85cm diameter.

Lengths of the tubular fabrics from both knitting machines are treated either separately or together by padding in a bath containing a concentration lOgIL of Sanitized T99-19, a commeicially available solution of tetradecyl-dimethyl-(3-trimethoxysilyl)-propylammonium chloride at a speed of 30m per minute and a temperature of 140 °C. The fabric is then dried at 150°C for 2 minutes to give a treated fabric containing a loading of approximately 0.6% by weight of the antimicrobial compound relative to the total weight of the fabric.

The treated lengths of fabric are then cut into form the shapes of a body, sleeves and legs and are sewn together using a using an industrial sewing machine to form flat seams to give an infant's sleeping suit. Snap fasteners are sewn into the suit to provide a means of closure.

The infant's sleeping suit is well ventilated and absorbs moisture from an infant's body, wicking the moisture away from the body but retaining sufficient moistuie to stop the skin from drying out. The smooth texture of the lyocell and absence of raised seams means that the sleeping suit does not cause irritation and itching.

The antimicrobial effect of the Sanitized T-199 inhibits bacterial growth. Thus, by using the sleeping suit of the invention, a child's eczema is prevented fiom worsening and in many cases the severity of the symptoms is reduced and/or the symptoms are eliminated.

Equivalents The specific embodiment described in the example above is merely illustiative of the invention and is not intended to have any limiting effect. It will readily be apparent that numerous modifications and alterations may be made to the specific embodiment shown without departing from the principles underlying the invention.

All such modifications and alterations are intended to be embiaced by this application.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A garment for use by a subject suffering from eczema, atopic dermatitis or psoriasis; the garment being formed from one or more pieces of knitted fabric; each piece of knitted fabric comprising at least 90% by weight of lyocell fibres, and wherein each said piece of knitted fabric, or the garment formed from the knitted fabric, has been treated with a quaternary ammonium siloxane antimicrobial compound.
2. A garment according to claim 1 wherein the knitted fabric comprises from 95% to 99% by weight of treated lyocell fibres and from 5% to 1% by weight of elastane fibres.
3. A garment according to claim 2 wherein the knitted fabric comprises from 95% to 97% by weight of treated lyocell fibres and from 5% to 3% by weight of elastane fibres.
4. A garment according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the quaternary ammonium siloxane compound is present in an amount corresponding to 0.25% to 1% by weight relative to the total weight of the knitted fabric.
5. A garment according to claim 4 wherein the quaternary ammonium siloxane compound is present in an amount corresponding to 0.4% to 0.8% by weight relative to the total weight of the knitted fabric.
6. A garment according to claim 5 wherein the quaternary ammonium siloxane compound is present in an amount corresponding to 0.5% to 0.7% by weight relative to the total weight of the knitted fabric.
7. A garment according to any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the quaternary ammonium siloxane compound is selected from compounds of the formula: OR1 CH3 OR1 3Rwherein R1 is Ci alkyl; R2 is C820 alkyl; R3 is methyl or C320 alkyl; and X is chloride or bromide.
8. A garment according to claim 7 wherein S1 is methyl; 52 is 014 alkyl; 53 is methyl; and X is chloride or bromide.
9. A garment according to any one of the preceding claims which is an undergarment or is otherwise intended to be worn next to the skin.
10. A garment according to claim 9 which is selected from sleep-suits (e.g. for infants); underpants; vests (singlets); night wear; socks; gloves; headgear (e.g. hats such as balaclava hats); leggings and pantyhose.
11. A process for making a garment as defined in any one of the preceding claims, which process comprises knitting one or more pieces of fabric formed from yarn comprising fibres at least 90% by weight of which are lyocell fibres, and (i) treating the piece of knitted fabric with the quaternary ammonium siloxane antimicrobial compound and forming the garment from one or more pieces of the knitted fabric; or (U) forming the garment from one or more pieces of the knitted fabric and treating the garment with the quaternary ammonium siloxane antimicrobial compound.
12. A process according to claim 11 wherein the garment or pieces of fabric are treated by immersing them in a solution of the quaternary ammonium siloxane antimicrobial compound and then allowing the treated garment or pieces of fabric to dry.