Hyderabad: Atopic dermatitis is three times higher in developing countries and according to a paper published by dermatologists at Gandhi Hospital, children suffer from it due to genetic susceptibility and environmental factors.
The paper was published after studying 200 children in the age group of 0-5 years.
The probability of atopic dermatitis is more in urban areas. Genetic susceptibility is the main cause of the disease, but its prevalence has increased by 2-3 times because of lifestyle changes.
Initial symptoms include dryness of skin. It usually affects knees while the infants are still crawling. Those with sensitive skin are most vulnerable and have to take extreme care of their skin.
There is an itchy feel that only gets worse if one starts scratching. “Another factor they have to take care of is water and soap. They shouldn’t use salty water, which consists of calcium and other phosphates. These will irritate the skin and the itch-scratch cycle will get repeated,” Dr Bhumesh Kumar Katakam, paediatric dermatologist at Gandhi Hospital, said.
“If a soap creates a lot of foam it is not good for people with atopic dermatitis, as it will dry out the skin. The skin’s pH value is 5.5. If you find a soap with a pH close to 5.5, you will be alright. Within 3-5 minutes after a shower, we should moisten our body with oil and other means so that it won’t cause itching. Seasons also have an impact.”
There is no permanent cure for atopic dermatitis. One should avoid environmental triggers.
“If we don’t take precautions, it will lead to lot of problems both physically and psychologically, and lead to asthma, food allergy and several other diseases,” Dr Katakam said. “Even if both parents never had the disease, there is always a 15 per cent risk of the child getting it.
If one of the parents has it, the child’s risk increases to 30 per cent. If only the mother has it, the risk increases to 40 per cent. If both parents have it, the risk increases to 60 per cent.”
There is a myth that atopic dermatitis spreads through contact, but it is not true.
People who have sensitive skin should be careful with mosquito bites, which initiates the scratching.
“Skin is the first defence mechanism. If it gets compromised it will lead to a lot of problems like sleep disorders, food allergy and other serious issues. Many researches even say that people suffering from atopic dermatitis have an increased suicidal tendency,” Dr Katakam said.
