Eczema treatment has long been among the most elusive solutions when it comes to allergic conditions. However, ScienceDaily reports a Major Shift in Understanding How Eczema Develops that offers new hope for those who suffer from this uncomfortable and persistent disease.
Eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, is an inflammatory condition resulting in the skin becoming ‘leaky.’ When the barrier of the skin is thus compromised, allergens such as dust mite allergen, pet dander, and pollen are sensed by the skin and send the immune system into overdrive. Furthermore, water leaks out, contributing to the dry, itchy skin characterizing the condition.
Most current treatment focuses on the presumed culprit of eczema: the upper-most layer of the skin, called the stratum corneum. However, a new study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology ‘found that a second skin barrier structure, consisting of cell-to-cell connections known as tight junctions, is also faulty in eczema patients and likely plays a role in the development of the disease.’
Treating both the upper most layer and this second layer may provide relief to the millions suffering from eczema. Lisa Beck, MD, lead study author and associate professor in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, says, ‘We want to figure out what current eczema therapies do to both barrier structures and start thinking about new treatments to close the breaks that let irritants in and water out and subsequently drive the inflammation and dryness that is characteristic of the disease.’
Eczema often goes hand-in-hand with other allergy-related conditions, such as allergic rhinitis and asthma. It comes as no surprise, then, that there are common characteristics of underlying causes: Tight junction defects are involved in other inflammatory disease, including asthma, in which the lining of the airway is weakened. Perhaps exploring ways to treat problematic tight junctions will open new possibilities for treating not only eczema, but also asthma and other inflammatory diseases.
To read more about eczema, check out:
Eczema FAQ
Childhood Eczema Influences Mental Health
Eczema on the Rise in Young Children