1. Atopic Dermatitis Is a Common Skin Condition
Atopic dermatitis, commonly called eczema, is a common skin condition. It occurs in 1 of every 5 people at some point in their lives. About 90 percent of the time, it presents during childhood, especially during the first year. It almost always goes away by adulthood, but a small percentage of people have it their whole lives. Eczema can differ markedly in severity: some patients have a mild disease that is hardly noticeable, whereas others have it so severely that they are hospitalized for treatment.
2. What Causes Atopic Dermatitis?
Atopic dermatitis is a complex skin condition where both genetic and environmental factors come together to cause the disease. It is a common misconception that atopic dermatitis is a skin allergy. It is more accurate to say that it is caused by a defective barrier of the skin and by an overactive immune system. A skin allergy can make eczema worse, but it is not the cause. You can have atopic dermatitis and not have any skin allergies at all.
3. What Does Atopic Dermatitis Look Like?
Atopic dermatitis looks remarkably similar in everyone who has it. In infants, the rash presents as red, raw, cracked skin most often on the face and neck, but can be all over. It is often wet and weepy. In older children and adults with atopic dermatitis, the rash usually affects the flexor crease of the arms and legs. It often appears as tiny red bumps and can look like dry, leathery skin. In severe cases, the rash can affect the face, leading to swelling of the eyelids, dry scaly skin, lines under the eyes, and even loss of eyebrows. Atopic dermatitis is always itchy.
4. Does Diet Affect Atopic Dermatitis?
Oftentimes parents blame food allergies for their child's eczema. This can lead to unnecessary restricting of the child's diet and even to malnutrition in extreme cases. Food allergies have never been shown to be a significant cause of atopic dermatitis. Some children with atopic dermatitis have allergies to cow's milk, eggs, peanuts or shellfish; while eliminating these might help a little, it is unlikely to clear up their atopic dermatitis. Similarly, airborne allergens like dust mites are not important causes of the disease. As with food allergies, if testing shows that a child has an allergy, then avoidance of these things might help his atopic dermatitis, but it is not likely to have a large impact.
5. What Role Does Breastfeeding and Probiotics Have?
In almost all instances, breastfeeding is preferable to bottle feeding for infants--atopic dermatitis patients are no exception. Studies have shown that exclusive breastfeeding for at least 4 months can decrease the risk of atopic dermatitis, at least for the first 2 years of life. More studies will have to be done to see if breastfeeding reduces atopic dermatitis after 2 years of age. It is not necessary for the mother to restrict her diet to avoid allergens, as this seems to have no impact on the baby. Although it has been recommended for mothers to take probiotics during pregnancy or while breastfeeding to prevent atopic dermatitis in their children, research has not concluded that this is true. One study actually showed that taking probiotics might make things worse. More research will have to be done to know for sure.
