The Impact of Dietary Salt on the Severity of Eczema
Who can join
Ages 18 and older · All sexes · Healthy volunteers welcome
Full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Participants ages 18 years * Willing and able to undergo non-contrast MRI. Exclusion Criteria: * Contraindications to MRI (such as cardiac pacemakers, claustrophobia, non-compatible intracranial vascular clips, IUDs, or other implants) * A cardiac event in the past 6 months * Impaired function of the liver or kidney (glomerular filtration rate \<60 mL/min) * Medications that influence sodium excretion (e.g., diuretics or SGLT2 inhibitors) * Antibiotic or immunomodulatory medications within the last month * Contraindications to sodium tablets (Topical medications used exclusively on the head/neck or hands/feet (e.g., antifungal nail treatment, antidandruff shampoo, acne cleansers) are acceptable. Topical and systemic eczema treatments are acceptable if the participant has been on a stable dose for at least 2 months and still meets the severity entry criteria. Patients on dupilumab will not be excluded if they have been on dupilumab for at least two months and still meet the disease severity inclusion criteria.)
About the study
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the feasibility of low-sodium diet to improve eczema severity. The main questions it aims to answer are:
* Does a low-sodium diet improve eczema severity? * How does a low-sodium diet impact skin sodium concentration? * Is skin sodium concentration associated with eczema severity?
Researchers will ask all participant to follow a low-sodium diet, then compare sodium tablets to a placebo (a look-alike substance that contains no drug) to specifically examine the impact of altering sodium intake.
Participants will:
* Follow a low-salt diet for the duration of the 24-week study * Take sodium chloride tablets every day for 5 weeks followed by a placebo every day for 5 weeks after a 2-week washout period, or vice versa * Complete up to 4 virtual check-in visits * Visit the clinic 4 times to answer questionnaires, provide bio samples, complete dietary recalls, and undergo non-contrast sodium MRI
What is being tested
- Sodium chloride tablets (drug)
- Placebo Tablets (other)
Sponsor: University of California, San Francisco · Participants: 40 · Started: Aug 10, 2026
Contact the study team
- Alicia Hamblin, BS · Phone: 925-549-7889
- Katrina Abuabara, MD · Phone: 415-514-9769
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT07447063
Locations in the U.S.
| California | San Francisco VA Medical Center, San Francisco UCSF Mt Zion Campus, San Francisco |
Conditions
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.