How Are Eczema And Asthma Related?
There are many medical conditions which have no cure; several of them are acute while some just tend to make our lives more complicated. Their symptoms can be managed, but the medical profession has yet to locate a true cure for them. Many of these diseases are not linked to each other at all; developing one won’t result in the development of a different one. However, in certain circumstances, such as when it comes to asthma and eczema, there may be grounds to think that developing one will result in the other one as well.
Eczema can be described as a disorder that affects the skin – the epidermis, or outer layer of the skin, gets inflamed and is often highly painful. The problems can run the gamut from very mild to exceedingly severe, and consist of blisters on the skin, crusting, cracking, flaking, swelling, redness, and itchiness, and also bleeding and oozing in more serious instances. There are various pharmaceutical drugs which can be useful to treat eczema, which are referred to as corticosteroids. These kinds of medicines are very effective at managing the sufferer’s eczema; however, the condition cannot be totally cured at this time.
Asthma, meanwhile, involves habitual irritation of the lungs in which the airways end up narrowed so that breathing becomes challenging or practically impossible. About 7% of the US population suffers from asthma and 300 million people globally are afflicted with it. Signs and symptoms of asthma consist of shortness of breath, even if at rest; nighttime coughing; a recurring cough that sounds much like clearing of the throat; and tense muscles in the chest. Asthma has assorted severity levels as well; attacks range from mild to moderate. While typically it can be managed with prescriptions, it can’t be cured, either.
So just how do these medical conditions, that are apparently so dissimilar, have any relationship to each other? The linkage isn’t entirely known, but it’s been concluded that half of all young children who acquire eczema will go on to develop asthma as well. Medical professionals have learned that when eczema occurs, it triggers a substance to be secreted by the body’s damaged skin. This substance winds up circulating in the bloodstream and throughout the lungs, after which it sets off asthma-like symptoms that in due course grow into the full-blown condition. This is why young children who suffer from eczema will often go on to be afflicted with asthma as well.
For the healthcare world, this is a huge breakthrough. They now think that if they begin treating eczema more aggressively and ensure that the body doesn’t begin manufacturing that substance in the first place, then many of the youngsters who get eczema will not go on to develop asthma. As long as they are triumphant, many hundreds of children will be able to enjoy their lives without this crippling condition.
Eczema is a condition that covers a number of different skin ailments, from atopic dermatitis to dyshidrotic eczema. Although there isn’t actually a cure for it, there are various treatment methods that will give you some relief. Learn more about treatment options including nummular eczema treatment at the Eczema Treatment site.