Eczema Voice Newsletter - September 2002
Reminder - NES Specialist Phone Day 21st September 2002
Saturday 21st September
10am - 4pm
0870 241 3604
Lines will be staffed by dermatology specialists and provide an opportunity to discuss issues relating to eczema with specialists in the field. (Please note that diagnosis cannot be given and specific products cannot be recommended)
We are also asking anyone who could distribute the flyer e.g. to GP surgeries , local playgroups, libraries etc, to do so either by downloading the flyer from www.eczema.org or getting in touch with the NES and asking for a supply. National Eczema Society
Western life “makes allergies more likely”
Allergic disorders such as eczema, asthma and hay fever are on the rise in industrialised nations because children’s immune systems are “not challenged enough”, according to UK researchers. Scientists at the Royal Free and University College Medical School in London say adults who were given antibiotics in childhood are more likely to suffer from allergic disease. Factors that tend to reduce the chance of allergic reactions include having older siblings, being brought up on a farm with animals, or having had a dog in childhood. The scientists say one of the immune system’s most important jobs is to learn when not to respond, and like the brain, it learns as it grows. (HealthScout News 09/08/02) © Health Media Ltd 2002 http://www.health-news.co.uk
Cosmetics blamed for epidemic of skin rashes
Popular suncreams, moisturisers and shampoos are being blamed for an “alarming epidemic” of painful skin complaints including rashes, swelling and itching. European Commission scientists have identified a chemical called methyldibromo glutaronitrile as the culprit. It is used to prevent the growth of moulds and bacteria, but experts say that it particularly affects eczema sufferers and that even those who do not have the condition are at risk. In 1991, only 0.7 per cent of eczema sufferers showed a reaction to the preservative, but by 2000 the figure had risen to 3.5 per cent. The scientists want use of the chemical banned until a “safe” level is found. (The Times 08/08/02; p.1) © Health Media Ltd 2002 http://www.health-news.co.uk
Research shows promise for eczema cream
Long-term treatment with pimecrolimus cream, marketed by Novartis as Elidel®, has “substantial benefits” for patients with atopic eczema, according to an international study. Researchers led by Professor Ulrich Wahn from Humboldt University, in Germany, found that topical use of the cream on skin lesions early after their appearance decreased the frequency of flares by approximately 50 per cent, and decreased the need to use a topical steroid preparation, also by 50 per cent. The study is published in the July edition of the journal Pediatrics. (Personal Health Zone 30/07/02) © Health Media Ltd 2002 http://www.health-news.co.uk
Trial smallpox vaccination in US
The US authorities are to begin testing samples of a smallpox vaccine that has been in laboratory freezers for 40 years. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland plan to try old stocks on children aged two to five. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has recommended that, unless there is an imminent threat or a release of smallpox, only certain groups of health and emergency staff be immunised. A widespread programme of vaccination would have implications for eczema sufferers and those with weak immune systems, because of the transmissibility of the vaccinia virus, which is present in the smallpox jab. (USA Today Online 31/07/02) © Health Media Ltd 2002 http://www.health-news.co.uk
Many Germans use alternative medicines for allergies
More than 25 per cent of German adults with allergies use alternative medicines to treat their condition, according to researchers. Dr Torsten Schäfer, from Medical University Lübeck and colleagues, investigated the prevalence of alternative medicine use for allergies in a study of 351 German adults with hay fever, asthma, eczema and food allergies. The study results, published in the journal Allergy, found that 54 per cent of those who claimed to use alternative medicine were pleased with the results of their treatment. The most popular treatments included homeopathy and acupuncture. (Reuters 13/08/02) © Health Media Ltd 2002 http://www.health-news.co.uk
Elidel® agreement for Europe
Pharmaceutical company Novartis says 13 European countries have agreed to issue marketing authorisation for its new non-steroid eczema cream Elidel® (pimecrolimus) later this year. The cream is the first therapeutic agent proven to prevent flare progression in the itching skin condition, atopic eczema. The 13 countries are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, and the UK. (Novartis 19/08/02) © Health Media Ltd 2002 http://www.health-news.co.uk
Pets may lower allergy risk
Children who grow up with dogs and cats in the home have a significantly reduced risk of developing allergies, such as asthma and eczema, according to US researchers. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, looked at 474 healthy babies born in the Detroit area. The researchers, from the Medical School of Georgia, found that children exposed to two or more indoor pets were half as likely to develop common allergies. (BBC News Online 28/08/02) © Health Media Ltd 2002 http://www.health-news.co.uk
Western lifestyle “increase” allergies
More research has suggested that allergic diseases are rapidly increasing across all age groups, with a western lifestyle cited as the likely culprit. Researchers from the Statens Serum Institute in Copenhagen came to their conclusions after looking at serum samples from more than 800 people aged between 15 and 80 years living in Greenland. They found that frequency of atopy almost doubled in the country between 1987 and 1998 across all age groups. Greenland has experienced a dramatic cultural shift towards a more western, urban lifestyle over the past few decades. (Reuters (30/08/02) © Health Media Ltd 2002 http://www.health-news.co.uk
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Eczema Voice