The 19-year study clearly showed that atopic dermatitis brings not only physical discomfort and aesthetic problems. This disease is also associated with mental health problems in adolescents – depression and internalizing behavior, when the child becomes withdrawn, has low self-esteem and suffers from anxiety.
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Eczema or atopic dermatitis causes redness, itching and flaking of the skin. This chronic disease usually appears in childhood and can accompany a person throughout life – it cannot be completely cured. The prevalence of the disease in developed countries, according to various estimates, ranges from 10% to 20%.The relationship between atopic dermatitis and depression, anxiety, and behavioral problems has been studied before, but mostly among adult patients. Scientists at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have summarized the results of the largest and longest study assessing the long-term impact of eczema on a child’s psyche.
The study began in 1990 with the participation of 11,000 children, each of whom was diagnosed with atopic dermatitis. During the observations, scientists periodically assessed the severity of the disease in all participants. The level of depression was measured on a five-point scale based on a questionnaire from the parents of children from 10 to 18 years old.
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The observations showed that at the age of 10, 6% of the participants had depression, and by the age of 18, its prevalence had increased to 21.6%. Girls suffered from this mental disorder more often than boys (56.8% versus 42.8%). The authors of the study noted that they were able to establish a link between depression and severe eczema. However, mild and moderate forms of dermatitis correlated with behavioral problems starting from the age of 4. According to the scientists, this may be partly due to the deterioration in the quality of sleep of children, since eczema causes significant physical discomfort.
“With many new treatments for atopic dermatitis coming to market, it is important to study their impact on sleep and mental health in pediatric patients,” the study authors wrote.