talkhealth forums

My son developed eczema just before his 2nd bday. Through eliminating dairy, wheat & gluten i have seen an improvement and his skin seems softer. However he still is v itchy - hands, wrists, ankles, backs of knees & scalp. Also he had an ear infection & now has a viral infection. This seemingly is exacerbating his itch & rash. I currently use oilatum bath & Diprobase & am trying to avoid steroids. Questions:
Is it usual to have itch & no rash?
Does infection exacerbate eczema?
Emilination diets? What is your view?
Thanks

Is it usual to have itch & no rash?

Yes! Very common. Studies have shown that often, even though eczema skin can look normal from the outside, there are still inflammatory changes under the surface.

Does infection exacerbate eczema?
Yes, I see this all the time in patients. If the immune system is activated due to a viral infection or other infections, it often triggers the eczema.

Emilination diets? What is your view?
I tend to avoid eliminating food as part of routine eczema control, unless there is evidence of an immediate type of food reaction. But every child is different. We know that if children avoid foods for long periods of time, they can actually develop food allergies where they could tolerate foods before. Also growing children need a wide range of foods. Delayed reactions to food triggering eczema are actually less common that people think and I think there are other better ways of managing eczema.