Prevalence

  • 31.6 million Americans are estimated to have symptoms of eczema, including 17.8 million with symptoms of atopic dermatitis.
  • Worldwide, about 20 percent of children and up to 3 percent of the adult population have some form of eczema. Those who live in developed countries or colder climates seem to be more prone to developing eczema.
  • Hand dermatitis accounts for 20–35% of all U.S. eczema cases, affecting up to 10% of the U.S. population.
  • In a 2007 U.S. survey, just over one‐third (37.1%) of those with eczema symptoms reported a physician diagnosis.

General aspects of eczema

  • There are at least 11 unrelated skin diseases that produce eczemas.
  • Studies have found that 1/3 to nearly 2/3 of children and young people with atopic eczema also had a food allergy.
  • Statistics in the United States show that about 80% of contact dermatitis is irritant‐based and about 20% is allergic.

Age of onset

  • Seventy percent of eczema cases start in children younger than 5 years old, and about 60% of infants who have eczema continue to have one or more symptoms in adulthood.
  • Atopic dermatitis affects between 8.7%–18.1% of all infants and young children.

Treatment

A 2015 study demonstrated that the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties of colloidal oatmeal extract “showed significant clinical improvements in skin dryness, scaling, roughness, and itch intensity.”*

* Michelle Garay M, Judith Nebus M, Menas Kizoulis B. Anti-inflammatory activities of colloidal oatmeal (Avena sativa) contribute to the effectiveness of oats in treatment of itch associated with dry, irritated skin. J Drugs Dermatol. 2015;14(1):43–48.