Eczema cases rise dramatically

Emma Wilkinson
Health reporter, BBC News

Eczema causes red itchy patches on the skin

The incidence of eczema is increasing dramatically in England, data suggests.

There was a 42% rise in diagnosis of the condition between 2001 and 2005, by which time it was estimated to effect 5.7m adults and children.

One potential explanation for the rise is increased frequency of bathing and use of soap and detergents.

A paper in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine says eczema is thought to be a trigger for other allergic conditions.

GP records of over 9m patients were used by researchers to assess how many people have the inflammatory skin disorder.

We do know there has been a huge rise in allergic disease of all sorts and what I would like to think is we're seeing some small signs of people concentrating their minds on eczema Margaret Cox, National Eczema Society

It showed that by 2005, one in nine of the population had, at some point, been affected by eczema.

The highest rate was in boys aged between five and nine.

Prescriptions increased by 57% over the five-year study period and in 2005, GPs issued 13.7m scripts.

Study leader Professor Aziz Sheikh, chair of the allergy and respiratory research group at the University of Edinburgh, said he expected to see a rise but it was fairly marked given the short time period.

"What's quite striking is the very high proportion of people who are getting eczema, it's an incredibly common disorder.

"Why eczema is important is increasingly we think eczema is a herald condition for individuals to go on to develop other allergic conditions, such as asthma and allergic rhinitis."

The theory is that allergens may be able to cross the skin in people with eczema to cause disease whereas in people without the condition the skin is able to act as a barrier. Read more...