health

Eczema is more common among children than adults; 95 percent of cases
occur in children five years or younger. Between 10 and 12 percent
of American children are diagnosed with eczema. Of these children,
30 percent will develop asthma and 35 percent will develop hay
fever in later childhood.
The disease often goes into remission (quiet period without symptoms)
in late childhood or adolescence and then flares up again in the early
adult years. According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD),
about half of children diagnosed with eczema will improve by the time
they are fifteen; the other half will have symptoms of eczema
throughout their adult lives. It is unusual for a person to develop
eczema for the first time after age thirty unless they are working
in a harsh climate or a wet environment.
Eczema is a very common skin disorder, affecting people in all racial
and ethnic groups.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates that about 15 million
people in the United States have some form of eczema.
The rate in adults is about 0.9 percent. It is slightly more common in
women than in men.
Eczema almost never causes death; however, it is a severe psychological
and economic burden to patients and their families. Flare-ups may
cause children to miss school and eventually fall behind their classmates.
Among adults, eczema frequently leads to taking time off from work.
The National Institutes of Health estimate that U.S. health insurance
companies spend more than $1 billion per year on eczema; this is a
figure comparable to the health care costs of asthma and diabetes.