THE number of eczema cases in England rose more than 40% in four years, researchers have said.
An estimated 5.8m people were affected by the condition in 2005, an increase of 42% from 2001, the study, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, showed.
Researchers, led by Professor Aziz Sheikh, at the University of Edinburgh, said the figures were expected to continue rising and added: “Eczema is now one of the most chronic conditions to effect the English population.”
Environmental factors, including the “frequency of bathing and use of soaps and detergents”, may have contributed to the rise, along with better awareness and diagnosis, he said. By 2005, almost one in nine people had been affected by eczema, the study found.
