Eczema News

Canadian Weather Conditions Seriously Affect Eczema Sufferers

For most people, weather is just something to talk about to break the ice in mundane conversations. But for a million Canadian children and adults who have eczema, weather is a daily struggle. During the winter months, they have to cope with cold weather causing dry skin and eczema flare-ups and when summer arrives, flare-ups are triggered by the hot weather and perspiration. Emotional problems also arise when people are afraid to expose their skin, confining them to pants and long sleeves during the warm days of summer.

Eczema (atopic dermatitis) is a common, chronic, life-altering disease. It is characterized by painfully red, swollen, itchy, and flaky skin. In some cases the itching and redness is so serious and intense that sufferers can scratch themselves until they bleed, increasing the risk of secondary infection.

Emotional factors such as stress can influence and worsen the condition. For sufferers, especially children and teenagers, the visibility of eczema flare-ups can lead to low self-esteem and often an inability to interact with others. The disease may also interfere with patients sleep cycles, keeping them up at night due to severe itching.

Eczema can also have profound psychological effects as experienced by Jennifer Knazan, who saw her international career in journalism abruptly interrupted a couple of years ago by a severe eczema flare-up. "Eczema kept me in bed for a year and a half. There is nothing figurative about that statement. I was literally too ill to do more than stay in bed and sleep. On a good day, when I was able to find a lying or sitting position that was bearable for more than a few minutes, then I would passively watch a little T.V.," explains Jennifer whose lifestyle was significantly diminished until her doctor finally found a new non-steroid treatment that worked for her. Today she is back at work.

"Eczema has traditionally been treated with hydration of the skin or moisturizers, topical steroids for inflammation, control of itch using oral antihistamines, and when there is infection, antibiotics," explains Dr. Richard Langley MD, Assistant Professor of Dermatology, Dalhousie University and Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

"Eczema is difficult to treat because the condition is chronic and chronically recurring. Since there is no cure for eczema, treatments often have to be used for prolonged periods of time, and side effects are often a concern to patients." Dr. Langley co-authored clinical studies at Harvard on a new topical medication for eczema that was tested with over 1,000 Canadian children and adults. "A steroid-free medication called tacrolimus was recently introduced to help manage eczema. This new class of treatment, topical calcineurin inhibitors (TIMs), works at the site of the immune imbalance in the skin to help improve eczema."

Information on how to manage this condition is available through the Eczema Awareness, Support and Education Program. The EASE Program has been developed as a community service through an unrestricted educational grant from Fujisawa Canada. It provides free educational materials to doctors, patients and other individuals interested in learning more about eczema. The educational value of the web site has been recognized by the Canadian Dermatology Association.

To find out more, log on to www.eczemacanada.ca, call the info-line at 1-866-432-0362 or write to:

EASE program
P.O. Box 964
435 Place d’Armes
Montreal, Quebec
H2Y 3J4

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This information can help you take control of eczema right now!