My child suffers from severe eczema

Child with eczema

Fine, dark hair on my daughter's back

My son has lots of warts

Question
My child suffers from severe eczema and cries non-stop throughout the night, keeping my husband and myself awake.

We have tried all the over the counter cream treatments but nothing is working.

Are there any foods that typically worsen the condition? Is there anything I can feed her that will reduce the condition?

Answer
It sounds as if your daughter is suffering severely from eczema and as a consequence the whole family is affected.

It is high time you contacted us and for that matter, your GP.

You ask about foods that can worsen eczema, but there are many other trigger factors, which can make matters worse. Wool, biological washing powders, pet fluff and dander, parental smoking, emotional factors, detergent, house dust mites and foodstuffs, including food additives and colourings could all be responsible.

But often there is a strong family history and her skin will probably continue to react until she is older.

I realise it is very distressing to see your daughter with severe eczema and scratching all night.

Your doctor needs to be more involved making sure which type of eczema your daughter has. If the eczema is weeping or oozing your doctor can prescribe antibiotics to eradicate any bacterial infection which is likely to be present.

Until this is treated the eczema will certainly not improve. Where severe itching continues, your doctor should advise on an antihistamine to stop this.

The best eczema treatment consists of a combination of emollients and steroids. They come in the form of ointments, creams or lotions or in liquid forms, which can be added to bath water. They avoid excessive drying of the skin, which in itself can cause irritation, which in turn causes inflammation.

It also means the total dose of any steroid used may be reduced and it is of great benefit in cases of serious eczema, where absorption of steroids through the skin with resulting side effects is always a possibility.

In addition to steroid creams and emollients, find out about wet wrapping, a technique where the skin is covered in a cling film material at night to provide constant moisturization of the dry skin.

In addition, oil of evening primrose and experiments with Chinese herbal medicines may be of benefit.

If you are really stuck and your GP is not obtaining the results you need, ask for referral to a paediatric dermatologist.

As I said previously, the outlook for children with severe eczema is very good and the majority of children have grown out of it by their teenage years.

Yours sincerely

The Medical Team

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