A lack of sweat glands prevents sufficient sweating. At high temperatures, this can quickly lead to overheating and can thus become hell. What seems almost inconceivable to most people is unfortunately everyday life for people with ectodermal dysplasia. The climate-neutral E.COOLINE cooling functional clothing takes over the sweating for those whose sweating function is restricted and thus prevents overheating.
STUDY OF HEAT PROBLEM IN ED PROVIDES CONCLUSIVE RESULTS
At the University Hospital Erlangen-Nuremberg, the exertion-related overheating of children and adolescents with the clinical picture of hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (HED) was scientifically investigated. Since the most common form of this genetically determined developmental disorder is characterised by a lack of sweat glands, the focus of the study was on the effect of heat stress during sporting activity. The result: physical exertion – compared to healthy peers – has a significantly more serious effect on children and adolescents diagnosed with HED. Not only did the core body temperature of the 12 subjects with HED increase significantly more during exercise on the bicycle ergometer than in the control group. Regeneration after the exercise units also took longer. However, this effect could be significantly minimised by the use of cooling textiles in the laboratory environment.
Applied to the everyday life of HED patients, this means that cooling textiles such as the vests and bandanas of the E.COOLINE collection make a decisive contribution to counteracting life-threatening overheating, which often leads to death or lifelong disability, especially in babies and young children. The high risk of overheating in HED patients can be reduced with the E.COOLINE textiles in a targeted manner and without the effort associated with regular cold showers, for example.
POWERCOOL SX3 BANDANA
COOLKIDS SHIRTVEST SX3
According to the definition of Prof. Dr. Holm Schneider, the term ectodermal dysplasia (ED) refers to diseases that can be traced back to hereditary developmental disorders of the outer germinal layer of the embryo. More than 160 different combinations of traits are summed up under it. The most common form of the disease, which was also investigated in the study at the University of Erlangen, is X-linked hypohidrotic ED, which is primarily characterised by missing or deformed teeth, sparse body hair and the lack of sweat glands. The latter characteristic causes those affected to have difficulty regulating their body temperature. Physical exertion or high outside temperatures therefore quickly lead to overheating. For newborns in particular, this effect carries the increased risk of febrile convulsions and brain damage. In such cases, the baby’s body must be cooled down immediately.
However, even at an advanced age, the tendency to heat accumulation should be taken into account in all planned physical activities as well as in the choice of occupation (cf. www.ektodermale-dysplasie.de).
"It's great that I can now play football with my friends in the summer."​
EFFECTIVENESS OF E.COOLINE CONFIRMED IN STUDIES
The process of overheating in HED sufferers as a result of physical exertion was scientifically investigated for the first time by the research group led by Holm Schneider at the University Hospital Erlangen-Nuremberg. As part of the study, the E.COOLINE cooling garments were used to specifically question the effect of cooling. The positive effect of these garments has already been proven in patients with multiple sclerosis and in competitive sports.
The study design provided for the study group of 12 HED-affected male children and adolescents to be compared with a control group of 12 healthy male subjects of the same age. All participants completed a standardised exercise test on a bicycle – the outside temperature was 25 or 30 degrees Celsius. At the higher outdoor temperature, the strain was tested with and without cooling textiles. Their core body temperature was measured by means of a swallowed temperature probe, which made it possible to obtain very accurate and reliable readings.
It showed that the body temperature of the study group (still without cooling at 25 degrees Celsius) rose significantly faster than that of the control group. The children with HED disease reached up to 38.4 degrees Celsius within 30 minutes, the adolescents even 38.8 degrees Celsius, which in both cases meant a difference of at least 1.5 degrees from the baseline value.
In the second part of the study, at outside temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius and 40 percent humidity, comparable to a hot summer day, the cooling functional clothing demonstrated its effectiveness. While the body temperature without the use of the cooling textiles reached an average of 39.3 degrees Celsius in the HED subjects, a mean value of 38.5 degrees Celsius was measured in participants of the study group with cooling vest and bandana. In addition, the participants with the cooling vest and bandana returned to their normal body temperature much faster after the exercise. The tendential difference in performance compared to the healthy control group could almost be neutralised with the cooling textiles.
COOLING FOR MORE QUALITY OF LIFE
The study results show that there is a way to counteract the heat stress of HED patients. Effective body cooling options can make a decisive contribution to a better quality of life in the patients’ everyday lives. Especially for children who are not yet able to react independently to heat sensations, the cooling textiles help because they take over the natural effect of thermoregulation and automatically adapt to the body temperature. In contrast to calf wraps, showers or other elaborate methods of cooling, the study also showed an increased acceptance of the textiles by the children and young people. “The bandana in particular was rated as extremely ‘cool’ by the participants, which of course absolutely facilitates the take-up of this medical measure for body cooling into the everyday lives of children and young people,” says Dr Siegfried Hausdorf, who supported the study on behalf of pervormance international GmbH.
E.COOLINE - A FUTURE WITHOUT HEAT PROBLEMS
We have conducted research at a leading clinic in Germany. The reactions of those affected by ED were overwhelming and even the feedback from usually rather reluctant doctors and therapists was very positive.
The reasons for this are the simple and quick activation of the cooling vests with tap water, their low weight, which guarantees high wearing comfort, and their long-lasting effect, which ensures their effectiveness for hours – even over a whole day – without any further requirements. The vests can be worn over or under your normal clothing, they are available in different sizes and easy to clean.
