Eczema and the Importance of the Physical Environment
Updated: Sep 2
The big idea:
Environmental triggers are primary culprits behind eczema flare-ups, aggravating skin that already has a weakened natural barrier. Managing exposure to indoor and outdoor elements (such as extreme weather, allergens, air pollution, and harsh chemicals) is essential to minimizing inflammation and controlling the itch-scratch cycle.
What the study asked:
The study aimed to investigate the extent to which the environment impacts eczema’s severity and specifically which factors of the environment are involved.
What the study did:
A large ecological study between climatic factors and the level of the state and prevalence of eczema was conducted.
This survey was part of the National Survey of Children’s Health in the US which involved 79,667 people from the US with 10,072 reporting to have eczema.
The survey was done through phone call interviews which were computer assisted - where interviewers were trained and quality control measures were implemented.
What the study found:
The number of eczema cases have been rising for the past 3 decades with some indication that cases have been plateauing in the recent years.
Despite the lack of definitive epidemiologic data (due to a lack of data findings), it is unclear that the relation between temperature, humidity, heat individually and the severity of eczema, with the exception of shampoo exposure and cold weather which aggravates flare ups, is definite.
While it was observed that any of the 3 triggers mentioned above acting together typically caused a flare up, which could be supported by reduced stressors etc, but the prominent major change in environment can support the hypothesis that temperature, humidity, UV rays play a role in eczema severity.
Another Study showed that Black Caribbean children in London with eczema was 14.9% while in Kingston Jamaica only 5.6%. This shows that migration (warmer to cooler climate), population and ethnicity plays a part as well in flare up frequency where migrants develop eczema at a same or faster rate than resident population.
What does this mean for eczema:
While these are brief findings, there is scientific logic behind it to back them up. This gives new found awareness to patients with eczema to be more aware of the environment they live in and conscious of whether it would be favourable for their skin condition.
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