Role of Ayurveda In Paediatric skin disease - A Case Study.

Background: Ayurveda categorises all skin disease under the ambit of Kushtha Roga which has been further classified into major (Maha) and minor (Kshudra) varieties. Skin manifestations are also considered to be a major group of disorders in children. As explained in the lexicons (Samhita), all the skin disorders have involvement of all the three body humours (Tridosha) but the type of manifestation depends on the predominance of any particular Dosha among them. Aim: To evaluate the role of Ayurveda treatment modalities in a paediatric case of Atopic Dermatitis. Materials and Methods: Male child aged 13 years suffering from excessive dryness of skin since early age, dry brownish pink patches with itching and burning sensation especially over face and elbow area since 2 months presented to OPD of Kaumarabhritya of authors institution. The child was facing social stigma, which stopped him to mingle with his peers. On the basis of clinical presentation, the condition was diagnosed as Vataj Kushta. Both External and internal therapies were administered which included of carminative, digestive, palliative and rejuvenative medicines along with oleation therapy (internal and external) for a period of 1 year with regular follow up of every 15 to 20 days in between. A course of Virechana (purgation) therapy was also administered during the process. Clinical assessment was done during both pre-and post-treatment period with the parameters of patches and skin and other clinical feature and quality of life parameters Observations and results: Change over skin was observed after one month of treatment and complete recovery of normal skin was achieved after Virechana. Skin texture and colour became normal after 2nd follow up. Conclusion: The present case study revealed the efficacy of Ayurveda therapy including both external and internal medications in curing the atopic dermatitis (Vatottar Kushtha). The quality of life of the child was also improved as he started mingling with peer and attending social gathering due to reduction of the complaint.