Causes

• Allergies can provoke symptoms of eczema. Other factors can include chemical irritants, dry air, or excessive sunlight. Heredity may also play a causative role. People with eczema often have allergic asthma or hayfever. Symptoms can also increase with anxiety, stress and lack of sleep.³ Eczema can also be caused by a deficiency of essential fatty acids/ and or vitamin B-6, although this is not common.⁴ The disease can occur at any age but is most common in infants to young adults.

Prevention and Management

General:

• The focus should be on prevention. Avoid specific allergens that provoke rashes.
• Avoid using harsh soaps, chemicals, or detergents that may aggravate the eczema by drying the skin.

Nutritional Influences:

• A low fat, nutrient dense diet should be consumed. When food allergies are the cause, eliminate the offending foods.⁵
• Vitamin C may work by boosting the immune response, and lessening the chance of developing skin infections.
• Zinc is important for proper immune functioning.
• Essential fatty acids are known to have beneficial effects on inflammation and the immune response.⁶

Abstracts

Casimir GJ, Duchateau J, Gossart B, Cuvelier P, Vandaele F, Vis HL. Atopic dermatitis: role of food and house dust mite allergens. Pediatrics 1993 Aug;92(2):252-6. OBJECTIVE. The aim of this study was to evaluate the humoral immune response to cow milk (CM) protein, soya protein, and house dust mites in a group of 64 CM-fed infants, who had atopic dermatitis as the sole atopic manifestation, by measuring not only IgE but also specific IgG antibodies (Ab) against bovine beta-lactoglobulin, soya flour aqueous extracts, and Der P1 antigens. METHODS. A CM-free diet (Nan HA, Nestle) was given to these 64 CM-fed infants and the sensitivity to CM proteins was established by a positive challenge test with the offending food in improved infants. The serum was obtained just before the start of the CM-free diet, at the first consultation. The patients were classified into two groups according to their clinical response to the hypoallergenic formula. RESULTS. Thirty-one infants (group 1) improved dramatically (positive challenge test), and 33 (group 2) did not improve with the exclusion diet but did improve after eviction of dust-producing items in the environment. The two groups were different in terms of their total IgE immunoglobulin concentration (higher in group 1, P < .05) and concentration of specific IgE Ab against CM protein (more frequent in group 1, P < .01).

References

¹ The Merck Manual. 16th ed. Rahway (NJ): Merck Research Laboratories; 1992. p 266.
² Tabers Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary. 16th ed. Philadelphia:FA Davis Company; 1985. p 120.
³ Somer E. The Essential Guide to Vitamins and Minerals. New York:HarperPerennial. 1992.
⁴ Somer E. The Essential Guide to Vitamins and Minerals. New York:HarperPerennial. 1992.
⁵ Werbach M. Healing with Food. New York:Harper Perennial; 1993 p 105-106.
⁶ Ensminger AH, Ensminger ME, Konlande JE, Robson JRK. The Concise Encyclopedia of Foods and Nutrition. Boca Raton (FL):CRC Press; 1995. p 254.