A pilot intervention with chitosan/cotton knitted jersey fabric to provide comfort for epidermolysis bullosa patients

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a rare hereditary skin disease that causes skin fragility and blistering. Since the wounds of EB do not fully heal, and there is currently no available medical technology that can cure this skin disease, patients suffer from the related physical and psychological pain during their lifetime. Therefore, it is important that skin-protective apparel with protective functions be specifically developed for EB patients to improve their wear comfort and reduce their chances of further skin injuries through the interaction of clothing as a “second skin” and the human skin. This study investigated the fabric comfort properties of chitosan/cotton blend knitted jersey fabric in order to provide comprehensive knowledge to facilitate further medical textile development for EB patients. A proposed model determines the role of chitosan-based yarn in providing comfort to EB patients to determine scientifically the association between textile comfort and medical treatment, and establishes the relationship between percentage composition and comfort to facilitate further examination of medical textiles in both theoretical and practical aspects. The results show that increases in the concentration of chitosan (50% or above) in the blend ratio reduce the rigidity of the fabric and provide a softer handle for the inner surface of the fabric. The surface friction coefficient is reduced which means a smoother surface and the thermal maximum flux is also reduced, that intends a fabric with a cooler handle. It is concluded that fabric with a composition that incorporates chitosan fibers can provide better comfort, which in turn, facilitated the development of a skin-protective textile for EB patients, by the application of chitosan/cotton blend knitted jersey fabric.