Dyshidrosis is a chronic skin condition characterized by often painful hand and feet blisters. Dyshidrosis has been linked with exercise because the name means abnormal sweating, but no scientific evidence supports an association between exercise and dyshidrosis. A May 2011 study published in the British Journal of Dermatology found no significant association between the two entities. Though the exact cause of dyshidrosis is unknown, several predisposing factors are known.
Why the Link?
Dyshidrosis goes by other names, including dyshidrotic eczema. Vigorous exercise naturally makes you sweaty and itchy even in the absence of dyshidrotic eczema. Sweating could make dyshidrosis itchier, but it is not the cause of dyshidrosis. Dyshidrotic eczema or dyshidrosis is a definite entity on its own.
Dyshidrosis Predisposing Factors
Many folks who suffer from dyshidrosis are allergic to dietary nickel. Contact irritants from garden tools, glues, paints and varnishes have also been identified as predisposing factors. Others include contact with rubber on golf clubs and gardening gloves. Hypersensitivity to homemade salves, topical steroids, some over-the-counter medicines, contact with plants, dermatophyte infections, stress and contact with rosin on bowling ball all add to the long list of predisposing factors of dyshidrosis.
What To Do
If you suffer from dyshidrosis, eliminate nickel and cobalt foods such as canned foods, cocoa, chocolate, soy and nuts from your diet. Vegetables could also be rich in nickel depending on where it is grown. In December 2008, scientists from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center advised dietary cobalt restriction as a treatment for dyshidrosis. Though quite difficult to achieve, you should minimize contact with known dyshidrosis-predisposing factors. Undergoing patch testing to identify your specific allergens can help simplify the task.
Getting Help
You can get help from the American Contact Dermatitis Society, which can connect you to a patch test specialist in your area. You must remember, however, to avoid nickel and cobalt-rich diet regardless of the patch test results, according to a December 2008 study published in the Journal of the American Contact Dermatitis Society.
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