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Bringing sufferers out of the shadows – Reducing the emotional impact of living with Atopic Dermatitis


You can probably remember at least one of your friends in school who was always scratching and suffered from red, scaly skin rashes, perhaps on their elbows or backs of their knees, and if they were really unlucky, on their face? This child may have disliked going to the swimming pool and particularly suffered from flare-ups during cold winter or hot summer months. They might have tried to cover up their skin with long-sleeved clothing, or hide their face to avoid being stared at.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) or eczema is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, which, although not as debilitating as other chronic conditions, can have a significant psychological impact on patients, or parents caring for children with the disease. It also puts a considerable burden on healthcare resources. AD affects up to 20% of children and around 3% of adults worldwide and its prevalence is still increasing, especially in some lower income countries in Asia and Latin America. The majority of patients start to experience symptoms before they reach 5 years of age and often suffer from asthma or other allergies. Severity varies widely – some people might just suffer from a light rash on a few areas of the body and might get better as they get older, whilst others can suffer from very dry, bleeding and sore skin all over, with regular painful flare-ups, which continue into adulthood. In the US, physicians typically use the Body Surface Index to assess severity of the disease. Around 65% of patients in the US are recognised as suffering from moderate-severe eczema. Severe patients can suffer from more than 15 flare-ups per year, lasting two weeks or more…

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This content was provided by Research Partnership

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