Eczema, an itchy skin disease, was linked to several other health problems in a new study.
"Eczema is not just skin deep," lead researcher Dr. Jonathan Silverberg, an assistant professor of dermatology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, told WebMD. "It impacts all aspects of patients' lives and may worsen their heart-health."
Silverberg and his team of researchers collected data on more than 61,000 adults aged 18 to 85 from the 2010 and 2012 U.S. National Health Interview Surveys.
From reviewing the data, the scientists determined that the chronic disease can also lead to chronic heart disease and stroke.
The study focused on how often someone with eczema also had other health conditions. It did not take into consideration that the condition makes it harder to exercise (sweat irritates the skin making it more itchy) or the psychological effects (the aesthetics sometimes effects self-esteem and identity).
The researchers also found that people with eczema were 54 percent more likely to be obese, 48 percent more likely to have high blood pressure and about one-third more likely to have high cholesterol.
"It's important to address the issue from the onset of the condition, even in children, to help them understand how to best handle the symptoms, both physical and emotional. Cognitive therapy along with skin care can have a major benefit in reducing symptoms and flare-ups from the stress component of the condition," Dr. Doris Day, a dermatologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, told WebMD.
The study was published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
