Tape strips may be a painless and non-invasive way to assess biomarkers and predict treatment responses in children with atopic dermatitis, according to a small study.

In the study, tape strips applied several times to the same skin areas proved highly accurate in discriminating between skin with early-onset atopic dermatitis and normal skin, the study team reports.

Sixteen large D-Squame genetic tape strips were serially collected from lesional and non-lesional skin from each of 51 children, who were aged under five.

Twenty-one children had moderate to severe eczema, with a disease duration of less than six months, while 30 had normal skin.