Connection between atopic dermatitis & psyche

Connection between atopic dermatitis and psyche discovered

Researchers and others The Helmholtz Center in Munich has discovered connections between atopic dermatitis in the early years of life and the later psychological state of those affected.

Atopic dermatitis (or atopic dermatitis) is a disease that is of non-infectious origin. Affected people have scaly and itchy rashes, preferably on the elbows, knees, neck and face. Atopic dermatitis is the most common chronic skin disorder in children and adolescents. Children who have the symptoms of atopic dermatitis have an increased predisposition to allergic asthma and hay fever.

The scientists around Dr. Jochen Schmitt from the University Hospital Dresden, dr. Christian Apfelbacher from the University Hospital Heidelberg and Dr. med. Joachim Heinrich from the Institute of Epidemiology of the Helmholtz Zentrum München, published their results in the „Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology“. Since 1995 they have examined 5991 children born between 1995 and 1998. According to the press release of the institute they examined „Data on the physical health and emotional state of children at the age of ten, family history and daily life.“ In infancy children with atopic eczema (atopic dermatitis), mental disorders were 49 percent more common at ten years of age. „Emotional symptoms“ were found 62 percent more frequently.

If atopic dermatitis also occurred after infancy, mental disorders were more common than in children who did not appear after infancy. A problem of the affected children is, especially at night, severe itching. By scratching the skin is usually more irritated and injured. This leads to an increase in symptoms, possible infections and lack of sleep. In addition, there are aesthetic and therefore psychological aspects that can put a lot of strain on those affected, as eczema is an outward sign of all visible illness. (Thorsten Fischer, Naturopath Osteopathy, 12.02.2010)

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