U.S. patent application number 13/143484 was filed with the patent office on 2012-02-02 for textile article for patients affected by a skin disease.
This patent application is currently assigned to LENZI EGISTO S.P.A.. Invention is credited to Roberto Fenzi.
Application Number | 20120028529 13/143484 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41137074 |
Filed Date | 2012-02-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120028529 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Fenzi; Roberto |
February 2, 2012 |
TEXTILE ARTICLE FOR PATIENTS AFFECTED BY A SKIN DISEASE
Abstract
Textile article, for example a garment, particularly an
under-garment, or bed linen, for patients affected by a skin
disease, said article comprising at least one textile layer
comprising polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fibres, said fibres being
present at least at one surface of the textile layer intended to be
in contact with the patient's skin. The PTFE fibres make it
possible to obtain a very smooth surface, which is not sticky in
the least and provides a pleasing sensation of freshness and
slipperiness.
Inventors: |
Fenzi; Roberto; (Prato,
IT) |
Assignee: |
LENZI EGISTO S.P.A.
I-59021 VAIANO (PRATO)
IT
|
Family ID: |
41137074 |
Appl. No.: |
13/143484 |
Filed: |
February 12, 2010 |
PCT Filed: |
February 12, 2010 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/IB2010/000267 |
371 Date: |
August 9, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
442/203 ; 2/400;
428/221; 442/301; 442/304; 442/414; 5/482 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D02G 3/04 20130101; D10B
2403/0112 20130101; D10B 2201/02 20130101; D03D 15/513 20210101;
D04B 1/16 20130101; D10B 2501/041 20130101; D10B 2211/02 20130101;
Y10T 442/3179 20150401; D04H 1/4318 20130101; D10B 2501/042
20130101; A41D 31/00 20130101; Y10T 442/3976 20150401; D10B 2331/04
20130101; A41B 2400/32 20130101; D10B 2509/00 20130101; A41B 17/00
20130101; D10B 2403/0114 20130101; D10B 2501/00 20130101; D10B
2501/043 20130101; Y10T 442/696 20150401; A47G 9/0238 20130101;
D10B 2321/042 20130101; A41D 2400/32 20130101; D10B 2331/02
20130101; Y10T 442/40 20150401; D03D 15/47 20210101; A41D 13/1236
20130101; D10B 2503/06 20130101; Y10T 428/249921 20150401; D03D
15/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
442/203 ;
428/221; 442/301; 442/304; 442/414; 2/400; 5/482 |
International
Class: |
A41B 9/00 20060101
A41B009/00; D03D 1/00 20060101 D03D001/00; A47G 9/02 20060101
A47G009/02; D03D 15/00 20060101 D03D015/00; D04H 1/00 20060101
D04H001/00; D04B 1/16 20060101 D04B001/16; D03D 11/00 20060101
D03D011/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 13, 2009 |
IT |
MI2009A000196 |
Claims
1. Textile article for patients affected by a skin disease, said
article comprising at least one textile layer comprising
polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fibres, said fibres being present at
least at one surface of the textile layer intended to be in contact
with the patient's skin.
2. Article according to claim 1, wherein said skin disease is
psoriasis or atopic dermatitis.
3. Article according to claim 1, said article being selected from:
garments, particularly under-garments; bed linen.
4. Article according to claim 1, wherein the PTFE fibres are in the
form of continuous fibre yarns.
5. Article according to claim 1, wherein the PTFE fibres are in the
form of discontinuous fibre yarns, intimately commingled with other
fibres, such as cotton or wool, wherein the amount of PTFE fibres
is preferably not lower than 20% by weight of the whole yarn.
6. Article according to claim 1, wherein said at least one textile
layer is a fabric having a warp-weft structure.
7. Article according to claim 1, wherein said at least one textile
layer is a knitted fabric.
8. Article according to claim 1, wherein said at least one textile
layer is formed by 100% PTFE fibres.
9. Article according to claim 1, wherein in said at least one
textile layer the PTFE fibres are combined with fibre of a
different type, either natural (e.g. cotton) or artificial (e.g.
cellulosic), or synthetic (e.g. polyesters or polyamides).
10. Article according to claim 9, wherein said at least one textile
layer has a warp-weft structure having a weaving such as to obtain
a double face fabric wherein the PTFE fibre is mainly present at
the internal face, while the other fibre is mainly present at the
exterior.
11. Article according to claim 1, wherein, at the surface of the
textile layer intended to be in contact with the patient's skin,
the percentage of PTFE fibres is comprised from 60% to 100%, more
preferably from 70 to 100%.
12. A textile article comprising at least one textile layer
comprising polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fibres to alleviate
symptoms and/or improve disease course in a patient affected by a
skin disease, said fibres being present at least at one surface of
the textile layer intended to be in contact with the patient's
skin.
13. Article according to claim 12, wherein said skin disease is
psoriasis or atopic dermatitis.
14. Article according to claim 12, wherein said textile article
comprises at least one of: (a) said article being selected from:
garments, particularly under-garments; bed linen, (b) wherein the
PTFE fibres are in the form of continuous fibre yarns, (c) wherein
the PTFE fibres are in the form of discontinuous fibre yarns,
intimately commingled with other fibres, such as cotton or wool,
wherein the amount of PTFE fibres is preferably not lower than 20%
by weight of the whole yarn, (d) wherein said at least one textile
layer is a fabric having a warp-weft structure, (e) wherein said at
least one textile layer is a knitted fabric, (f) wherein said at
least one textile layer is formed by 100% PTFE fibres, (g) wherein
in said at least one textile layer the PTFE fibres are combined
with fibre of a different type, either natural (e.g. cotton), or
artificial (e.g. cellulosic), or synthetic (e.g. polyesters or
polyamides), and (h) wherein, at the surface of the textile layer
intended to be in contact with the patient's skin, the percentage
of PTFE fibres is comprised from 60% to 100%, more preferably from
70 to 100%.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a textile article, such as
a garment (particularly an undergarment) or bed linen, for patients
affected by a skin disease. As known, skin diseases generally arise
from an inflammatory reaction of tissues due to various atopic
triggering factors, such as chemical products (e.g. solvents or
detergents), radiation, microbial infections, parasites, allergic
reactions, autoimmune reactions, hereditary factors, etc.
[0002] One of the most common diseases is psoriasis. This is a form
of chronic dermatitis characterised by bright red patches covered
with abundant whitish scales of extremely variable size, shape and
extent. It is often localised to the scalp, extensor surfaces of
the limbs (elbows, knees) and the lumbosacral region; it can be
widespread and even affect the whole body. Usually it is not
life-threatening, but in some cases (pustular and erythrodermic
psoriasis) it may be very serious. It affects both sexes equally,
with a slight prevalence in males, and may arise at any age, with
onset tending to occur in childhood or at a young age. In 5.4% of
the cases it is manifestly accompanied by arthritis, which may be
severely disabling. It is often a familial disease, with a
multigenic hereditary predisposition (at least six genes correlated
with it have been identified up to now); for its manifestation,
triggering factors shall occur, such as viral or bacterial
infections, physical trauma, emotional stress, some drugs such as
beta-blockers, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, lithium
salts, interferon, etc.
[0003] Psoriasis is a disease present worldwide, with a prevalence
of about 2% in populations of European origin. It is estimated that
in Europe around 14.5 million people are affected by this disease.
In the USA there are seven million psoriasis sufferers and in Italy
approximately 1,250,000.
[0004] Because of its chronic-recurrent nature and its likelihood
of becoming a severe and disabling condition, it must be considered
a social disease, not only because of its strong individual
psychological impact, but also because of its economic relevance
for the community.
[0005] The treatment of psoriasis has made great progress in recent
years and at present there exist numerous medications which, if
skillfully used, can lead to the complete remission thereof.
Besides systemic therapies which require the use of various
medications, it is also possible to employ local treatments. These
provide for the application--after the scales have been removed
using unguents containing salicylic acid, urea or propylene
glycol--of active principles, which may be traditional ones like
cortisone, tars and dithranol, or more modern substances, such as
calcipotriol, tacalcitol or tazarotene.
[0006] In psoriasis there exists the so-called Koebner phenomenon,
or isomorphic response, whereby new psoriasis lesions appear on
skin that has been traumatised or irritated. It is thus important
that the clothing worn by psoriasis patients be well tolerated by
the skin and not cause trauma, irritation or allergic
reactions.
[0007] There exist other skin diseases which present analogous
symptoms and problems. One of the most widespread is atopic
dermatitis. This is an inflammatory reaction of the skin caused by
hyper-reactivity of immune system mast cells to a given allergenic
substance, or even due to congenital difficulties in synthesizing
gamma-linolenic fatty acid. It is known that various factors can
exacerbate the disease, e.g. contact with irritating textile fibres
(such as wool), the use of aggressive detergents and various
climatic factors. Moreover, the disease is often accompanied by a
skin superinfection, caused in particular by Staphylococcus aureus.
In addition to treating patients with creams and emollients, it has
been proposed that patients wear fabrics having antimicrobial
properties, due, for example, to the presence of silver filaments,
whose antiseptic properties are well known (see, for example, the
article by Haug S. et al entitled "Coated Textiles in the Treatment
of Atopic Dermatitis", Curr. Probl. Dermatol. Basel, Karger, 2006,
vol. 33., pp. 144-151). The Applicant posed himself the problem of
devising textile articles, such as garments, in particular
under-garments, or bed linens, which are especially suitable for
patients affected by the aforesaid skin diseases, in particular
psoriasis or atopic dermatitis, and which can prevent the disease
and related symptoms from worsening because of continuous rubbing
of the skin against the textiles it comes into contact with,
providing patients with a sensation of relief and thus helping them
to improve their quality of life and social relationships, which
can be compromised due to the psychological sensation of
"inadequacy" that afflicts this category of patients. Moreover,
such textile articles must be capable of minimising the undesirable
effects deriving from contact with emollients, and particularly
unguents, commonly employed in this type of skin disease. In fact,
the textile articles must be able to be used in combination with
such treatments without any damage, in particular without any
unattractive streaks or stains showing on the outside of the
articles themselves.
[0008] The Applicant has now found that it is possible to obtain
such results by producing textile articles, such as garments,
particularly under-garments, or bed linens, which include at least
one textile layer comprising polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fibres,
said fibres being mainly present on the surface of the textile
layer intended to be in contact with the patient's skin. The PTFE
fibres make it possible to obtain a very smooth surface, which is
not sticky at all, providing a pleasing sensation of freshness and
slipperiness. Using such fibres it is moreover possible to obtain
exceptional properties of water and oil repellence, fire-resistant
properties, good breathability, lightness and ease of
laundering.
[0009] In a first aspect, the present invention therefore relates
to a textile article, such as a garment, particularly an
under-garment, or bed linen, for patients affected by a skin
disease, said article comprising at least one textile layer
comprising polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fibres, said fibres being
present at least at one surface of the textile layer intended to be
in contact with the patient's skin.
[0010] According to another aspect, the present invention relates
to a textile article comprising at least one textile layer
comprising polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fibres for alleviating
symptoms and/or improving disease course in a patient affected by a
skin disease, said fibres being present at least at one surface of
the textile layer intended to be in contact with the patient's
skin.
[0011] Preferably, the textile article according to the present
invention is intended for a patient affected by psoriasis or by
atopic dermatitis.
[0012] The particular characteristics of water and oil repellence
of PTFE fibres make it possible to achieve a barrier effect against
the outward migration of the oily substances present in the
unguents and emollients commonly used to treat the disease,
substances which, unlike common ointments, remain on the patient's
skin for a long time before being absorbed by the dermis. Said
barrier effect is not achievable with common textile materials
based on cotton and/or wool.
[0013] As regards the PTFE fibres, these are products commercially
available for special industrial and medical applications. One
example is the product Profilen.TM. sold by Lenzing AG.
[0014] The density of such fibres is selected based on the specific
article to be produced and may preferably range from 200 to 1000
dtex.
[0015] Preferably, the PTFE fibres are in the form of continuous
fibre yarns. Alternatively, discontinuous fibre yarns, intimately
commingled with other fibres, such as cotton or wool, can be used.
In this case the amount of PTFE fibres is preferably not lower than
20% by weight of the whole yarn.
[0016] As regards the textile layer that includes the PTFE fibres,
this can be an actual fabric having a warp-weft structure, or a
knitted fabric. The type of weave can vary greatly according to the
specific textile article to be produced, e.g. flat, double face,
satin (e.g. crowsfoot satin weave), twill or derived twill, etc. As
regards the knitted structure, this is preferably a blocked
knit.
[0017] The textile layer may be formed by 100% PTFE fibres, or the
PTFE fibres can be combined with fibre of a different type, either
natural (preferably cotton) or artificial (preferably cellulosic),
or synthetic (preferably polyesters or polyamides).
[0018] In order to obtain the desired beneficial effect on the
patient's condition, the surface of the textile layer intended to
be in contact with the patient's skin is mainly formed by PTFE
fibres. The percentage of PTFE fibres present at said surface is
approximately between 60% and 100%, more preferably between 70% and
100%.
[0019] If the PTFE fibre is combined with other fibre, use is
preferably made of a weaving such as to obtain a fabric wherein the
PTFE fibre is mainly present at the internal face, while the other
fibre (e.g. cotton) is mainly present at the exterior.
[0020] As regards the articles that may be produced according to
the present invention, these are preferably under-garments, such as
shirts, T-shirts or socks, or garments in general, such as gloves,
hats, shirts, trousers, skirts. As regards bed linen, this may
consist, for example, of pillowcases and sheets.
* * * * *