What are the symptoms of atopic eczema?
- The skin usually feels dry.
- Some areas of the skin become red and inflamed. The most common areas affected are next to skin creases such as the front of the elbows and wrists, backs of knees, and around the neck. However, any areas of skin may be affected. The face is a commonly affected in babies.
- Inflamed skin is itchy. If you scratch a lot it may cause patches of skin to become thickened.
- Sometimes the inflamed areas of skin become blistered and weepy.
- Sometimes inflamed areas of skin become infected.
As a rule, inflamed areas of skin tend to 'flare-up' from time to time, and then tend to settle down. The severity and duration of 'flare-ups' varies from person to person, and from time to time in the same person.
- In mild cases, a flare up may cause just one or two small, mild patches of inflammation. Often these are behind the knees, or in front of elbows or wrists. Flare-ups may occur only 'now and then'.
- In severe cases the flare-ups can last several weeks or more, and cover many areas of skin. This can cause great distress.
- Many people with atopic eczema are somewhere in between these extremes.
Who has atopic eczema?
Most cases first develop in children under the age of five years. It is unusual to first develop atopic eczema after the age of 20. About 1 in 6 schoolchildren have some degree of atopic eczema. However, in about 2 in 3 cases, by the mid teenage years, the flare-ups of eczema have either gone completely, or are much less of a problem. However, there is no way of predicting which children will still be affected as adults. About 3 in 100 adults have atopic eczema.
What causes atopic eczema?
The cause is not known. Some cells of the immune system release chemicals under the skin surface which causes the inflammation. But it is not known why this occurs. Genetic (hereditary) factors play a part. Atopic eczema occurs in about 8 in 10 children where both parents have the condition, and in about 6 in 10 children where one parent has the condition. The precise genetic cause is not clear (which genes are responsible, what effects they have on the skin, etc).
Atopic eczema has become more common in recent years. There are various theories for this. Factors which may play a role include: changes in climate, pollution, allergies to house dust mite or pollens, diet, infections, or other 'early-life factors'. However, there is no proven single cause. There may be a combination of factors in someone who is 'genetically prone to eczema' which causes the immune system to react and cause inflammation in the skin.
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