Eczema Medical Figures Collected By National Health Institutes
According to medical figures from the National Institutes of Health, atopic eczema is very common. If affects both men and women and accounts for ten to twenty percent of all visits to dermatologists. Although atopic dermatitis may occur at any age, it most often begins in infancy and childhood. Scientists estimate that 65 percent of patients develop symptoms in the first year of life and 90 percent develop symptoms before the age of five. Onset after age 30 is less common and is often due to exposure of the skin to harsh and wet conditions.
Eczema is a common cause of workplace disability among people who must wear latex gloves, are exposed to certain chemicals and whose jobs require that they work in extremely hot or extremely cold conditions. People who live in cities and in dry climates appear more likely to develop the condition.
People who suffer from other allergic conditions such as asthma and hay fever are more likely to also suffer from eczema. Most researchers believe that eczema tends to run in families. In fact, a family history of allergies is one of the most important indicators of a medical predisposition to develop eczema. A dermatologist will ask many questions about your family history, occupation and lifestyle in his or her attempts to diagnose and treat your eczema. The treatment regimen prescribed for you will depend upon a variety of factors including how you respond to certain types of medications and specific food and chemical allergies that tend to trigger your symptoms.
Although it is difficult to identify exactly how many people are affected by atopic eczema, an estimated 20 percent of infants and young children experience symptoms of the disease. According to the most recent medical figures, Roughly 60 percent of these infants continue to have one or more symptoms of atopic dermatitis in adulthood. This means that more than 15 million people in the United States have symptoms of the disease.
In a recent analysis of the health insurance records of five million Americans under the age of 65, medical researchers found that approximately 2.5 percent had atopic eczema. Annual insurance payments for medical care of atopic eczema ranged from $580 to $1,250 per patient. According to medical figures released by insurance analysts, U.S. health insurance companies spend more than $1 billion per year on eczema and its related symptoms.
The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and other components of the Department of Health and Human Services keep ongoing records so that the medical figures for eczema will be reported with accuracy.
Glossary:
National Institute Of Arthritis And Musculoskeletal And Skin Diseases: A government sponsored organization that provides medical figures for eczema.