The Underlying Facts And Figures about Eczema

Eczema symptoms are controllable to a large extent.

Eczema is not contagious, and in many cases it responds well even to natural cures for eczema.

No specific climatic conditions or geographical location has been found to work as causes of eczema. People who are prone to eczema are seen to have dry skin, which becomes itchy, red, and swollen, and their skin become very sensitive. The severity of eczema can also vary widely. About 12.5% of children in United States are affected by eczema every year and the type of eczema that is commonly found in these children is known as atopic eczema or atopic dermatitis.

Baby eczema is no rarity in United States, and more than 30% of babies are seen to be victims of atopic eczema. However, with babies it is mostly a passing phase, and the small ones outgrow the problem by the time they become toddlers. Others may carry their eczema problems longer but few are the children who do not leave behind their atopic eczema even by the time they start school.

Those few carry the eczema symptoms to their teens and might even carry the burden to adulthood as well. But even in the case of those who continue to carry it, it is a mild type of eczema that they take it to maturity. Those who develop eczema in childhood go through its severities in childhood itself so that even if they carry it to adulthood, it is only a light version of it.

Eczema is basically divided into allergenic eczema and non-allergenic eczema. Wherever hereditary factors are traced to eczema, it has been done in connection with the allergenic eczema, as it is found in the case of problems like asthma or hay fever. Dust, mold etc. can sometimes be the potential allergens that can trigger an attack of eczema in people who are prone to it, or certain type of food can also have a similar triggering effect.

Other triggering agents are sweating, overheating, low humidity, or exposure to too much of heat or cold. Allergenic eczema is further divided into atopic eczema, allergic contact eczema, as well as irritant contact eczema.

Of these, atopic eczema is the most common. The other group, non-allergenic eczema is divided into infantile seborrhoeic eczema, adult seborrhoeic eczema, varicose eczema, and discoid eczema. The first, infantile seborrhoeic eczema is also known as cradle cap, the second variety is represented by dandruff, and the third is more common in older people, especially around the ankles.

Emotional quotient in triggering an eczema attack, or in causing a flare-up, cannot be totally ignored. Stress does contribute to it at least to a limited extent. Further, people prone to eczema are often seen to have other health problems as well.

Other contributing and triggering factors for eczema are hormonal fluctuations, especially in the case of women, as sometimes seen in relation with menstrual cycles, pregnancy, or menopause.

Eczema can be controlled to a large extent by constant moisturizing of the body by emollients, by keeping off agents like atmospheric pollutants, adverse climates, chemicals, detergents, or foodstuff that could possibly trigger an eczema attack