Eczema causes

Eczema is a term used for a set of health conditions that make the skin become inflamed or irritated. The most common type of eczema known is called atopic dermatitis or atopic eczema. What does atopic mean? Well, atopic refers to a group of diseases with an often inherited tendency to develop other allergic conditions, such as asthma and hay fever. The conclusion would be that eczema causes are mainly genetic and thus transmited from parents to children. Although studies that you might come across while looking for information about eczema will tell you that eczema causes are not known, we can still discuss of a number of causes, mainly connected with the environments in which eczema patients live, and which influence the evolution of the condition significantly.

According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, the prevalence of atopic eczema is growing, and it affects 9% to 30% of the U.S. population. Small children and infants are the most most exposed to atopical eczema. Without the necessity to go further into the investigation of eczema causes, many infants get rid of the problem by the time they turn one, yet, there are people who continue to experience recurrences throughout their entire lives. Nevertheless, with appropriate treatment, the disease can be controlled in the most of the cases. The exact eczema causes remain a mystery, but studies indicate that the problem results from an over-reaction of the immune system to some chemical irritant factor or to a bacterium that normally lives on our skin. Another of the eczema causes seems to be the coexistence in the vicinity of family members with a history of other allergies and asthma; eczema is commonly found in such families.

Among eczema causes, one that may also be considered in the case of patients who suffer flare-ups of this itchy rash, is the patients’ reaction to certain substances or conditions in the surrounding environments. Therefore, exposure to rough or coarse materials for some, feeling too cold or too hot in others’ cases, as well as getting in contact with household products (soap, detergents, etc) and living near animals may cause an eczema outbreak. Besides all these, it seems that eczema is also favored by upper respiratory infections and colds. Stress is known to deteriorate the health condition even further, contributing to an aggravation of the eczema. Although there is no cure, most people can effectively manage their skin condition with medical treatment and by avoiding irritants. At least the disease is not contagious!