e-health: In a nutshell, what is atopic eczema?
Pr Yves de Prost:First, recall that the frequency of the disease has significantly increased over the fifteen-twenty years, and has more than tripled in the West. We must also know that it always starts in infants between 3 and 6 months. Then, quite surprisingly, it has much more increased in Western countries than in countries with low living standards. From this observation came a theory of health, the fact that up to protect children against all risks of infection, contributes to increase the frequency of atopy.
The atopic eczema is a particular field, with so-called atopic background who are present in the family, ie a history of asthma, hay fever or eczema. Then, on this particular field, there are environmental allergens, which in contact with skin, will trigger this reaction eczema: redness with itching especially important. These children will wake up at night, up to prevent the whole family to sleep. And finally, the third important thing: they have very dry skin. Thus, the combination of red, dry skin and itching, is an essential element of the condition.
e-Health: What advice to give to parents?
Pr Yves de Prost:There are treatments, but they do not cure the substance of the disease. They make it possible to relieve the heavily pushed.
Then next to these treatments, there are tips to give parents. There have even been in some centers, to establish schools of atopy where we teach parents to care for their children. They of course explains how to apply creams and any other information relating to salaries, but it also repeats key advice:
First, we must avoid anything that aggravates dry skin. And what aggravates dry skin?
- First bath too hot. And contrary to what we said before, we must bathe the children, it is indisputable. Indeed, it is very important to have good hygiene, because staphylococci favor outbreaks of the disease. It was therefore necessary to bathe once a day, in a not too hot bath. Indeed, again, we must stop a myth, that of the bath at 37 ° C! It is a total heresy, even in normal children elsewhere. It should not exceed about 33 ° C.
- Secondly, the bath should not be too long, because it is a factor of dry skin: not more than 5 minutes.
- Thirdly, do not cover too much and not get dressed with clothes containing wool or synthetic, because they do not support these materials. They need cotton.
- Fourthly, not to heat the apartments and in particular their room.
- Fifthly, if the room is too dry, use a humidifier.
Other council capital: if someone has a herpes (a cold sore), we do embrace these atopic children, as they may be a severe form of herpes, more easily than other children.
e-health: These children have to follow a special diet?
Pr Yves de Prost:Children who develop manifestations (eczema, rashes like hives) with certain foods are very rare. Moreover, these events occur immediately after the introduction of the food (proteins of cow's milk, eggs, fish ...). They are easy to spot and just do not give this food. But it is rare. So I want to not put all the children with eczema, as it has in the past, because it is completely useless and dangerous (risk of malnutrition, undernutrition).
I repeat: never put a child in a systematic scheme because he has eczema, unless he had a reaction to a food, and even then, just to avoid that specific food.
e-health: Immunizations are they risky in atopic children?
Pr Yves de Prost:No, quite the contrary, they should be vaccinated. There was just one vaccine banned before, that no longer exists, the vaccine against smallpox. Vaccinations should be made absolutely normal, because they need not catch diseases. However, be aware that vaccinations may cause a small outbreak of the disease. But the treatment was needed for the deal.
