More about Food allergies Dr Morrow-Brown continues: "My involvement with eczema began many years ago when I observed that the quality of life of many asthmatics was destroyed more by their eczema than their asthma. When I became interested in food as a cause of asthma I found that when a restricted diet had improved the asthma the eczema sometimes got better as well. These were patients had also been attending the Skin clinic for years, so when there had been a remarkable improvement in the eczema I enquired if their improvement had been commented on by the Dermatologist . To my
surprise their improvement had never been commented on or excited any curiosity,
so I became deeply interested in eczema as another aspect of allergy. A study of
old allergy journals and textbooks, mostly American, revealed much research into
finding causes for eczema at a time when there was no effective medication.
These efforts had declined considerably after effective steroid creams were
introduced about fifty years ago. It seems that many dermatologists do not believe that allergy causes eczema, particularly food allergy. This is a very controversial subject, and it is only in recent years that the British Eczema Society has acknowledged that foods can cause eczema, although stated even now in a very reserved manner, with practically no reference to other allergic causes of eczema. (See www.eczema.org/ ) Unfortunately GPs are programmed to refer all eczema cases to the skin department, as they were taught in Medical School, so it is only a very persistent patient or parent who will get the allergic possibilities of eczema investigated. My experience has been mainly when eczema has been another part of the problem. How helpful my personal approach to the eczema problem would be if applied in an average dermatology clinic is quite unknown. The
highest readings for IgE antibodies are to be found in eczema, yet these
immunological results, if they are ascertained, are usually rejected by
dermatologists as unimportant or misleading, perhaps because they may not be
understood. In Europe and the USA the attitude of many dermatologists is quite
different, and the importance of foods and inhalant allergens such as dust mite
or animals in causing eczema is fully acknowledged, investigated, and treated..
Recent studies from USA, Australia, and New Zealand have confirmed that foods
play a very dominant role in the causation of infantile eczema. When foods
cause eczema the reaction is usually slow. Traces of the food are absorbed into
the blood without causing a local reaction in the gut, and pass in the blood and
then the tissue fluids to produce eczema in the sensitised skin. The same
mechanism operates when the joints, brain, kidney, or any other organ system has
become sensitised.
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