People with eczema have more than just dry, scaly, itchy skin to deal with. They also have higher risk of smoking, drinking, and obesity, according to a new study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
Researchers from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine have found out that adults diagnosed with eczema, which usually starts in childhood, are more prone to behaviors that increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
"This disease takes a huge emotional toll on its sufferers, like chronic pain," says lead researcher Jonathan Silverberg, dermatologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. 'Because eczema often starts in early childhood, people are affected all through their developmental years and adolescence. It hurts their self-esteem and identity. That's part of why we see all these negative behaviors."
Analyzing data gathered from 27,157 adults aged 18 to 85 years from the National Health Interview Survey in 2010 and another 34,525 from the same survey in 2012, the researchers found out that patients with eczema, which make up 10 percent of the entire American population, have 54 percent higher risk of being morbidly obese.
They also found out that they have 48 percent higher risk of hypertension, up to 93 percent risk of having pre-diabetes, and up to 42 percent risk of having diabetes. Patients with eczema also have 36 percent higher odds of having high cholesterol. They also have higher rates of insomnia, the researchers say.
To make matters worse, patients with eczema have difficulty exercising because sweating makes them itch worse.
"The will avoid anything that triggers the itch," Silverberg explains. "Patients report their eczema flares during a workout. This opens our eyes in the world of dermatology that we're not just treating chronic inflammation of the skin but behavioral, lifestyle side of things."
Silverberg, who is also director of the Northwestern Medicine Multidisciplinary Eczema Center, recommends that dermatologists ask their patients about lifestyle habits, such as smoking and drinking, so they can help provide better interventions.
He says he is also collaborating with researchers at Northwestern Medicine's physical therapy and human movement sciences to determine a way for eczema patients to be able to exercise without aggravating their condition.
