Eczema in Children is Rising. Are You Taking Good CARE of Their Diet?

Childhood eczema is on the increase, and the number of cases of the skin condition reported in toddlers and young children has risen to one in five. Researchers are still unable to identify the cause of eczema, which results in itchiness and redness of the skin, but allergies have often been cited as a contributor to the growing condition.

Recent years have seen an increase in people reporting allergic reactions, with eczema been a common symptom. Irritants like woolen clothing, soap or allergens like pollen can heighten eczema, but the common myth that diet is a major contributing factor has been dispelled.

Many parents blame certain foods for the onset of eczema or for making it worse, and have omitted several foods from their children’s diets. However, the latest research published by the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care have warned parents to be wary of denying their children important foods like milk unless these have been identified by doctors as causing allergies.

The Institute advices that although eczema can become a lifetime problem, most children will grow out of it by the time they are teenagers and parents may not need to change their family’s diets. The Institute’s director Professor Sawicki said eliminating certain foods from children’s diets should only be undertaken after consultation with a doctor: "Restricting children's diets can harm their health and growth, so parents need to be careful about acting on unproven theories about diet and eczema."

"Trials have shown that eliminating foods like milk or eggs from the diet of small children with eczema probably only helps if they have proven food sensitivities. Formal allergy tests like skin prick and challenge tests done with your doctor can help you get a more reliable picture of whether or not a suspected food really is causing the problem."

He also encouraged parents to stay abreast of up to date developments in research and treatments in the field as new discoveries about childhood allergies are been made, and to only rely on evidence-based advice. One example of current research still in its early stages is the role of probiotics in the development of child allergies.

The Institute also stated that parents can reduce their child's risk of allergies by not smoking. More information about eczema and allergies can be found on the Institute’s website www.informedhealthonline.org which features easy-to-understand information about current medical developments and research on important health issues.