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Childhood Eczema May Persist Into Adulthood

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Children with eczema may continue to have symptoms of the skin condition as adults, according to a recent study HealthDay reported.

New research suggests that kids with eczema will likely experience flare-ups into their 20s. Researchers said that in some cases people could be dealing with the skin ailment throughout their lifetime. The onset of dermatitis onset usually begins during childhood, HealthDay reported.

People with eczema have sensitive skin, prone to inflammation, infections and allergies.

"Based on our findings, it is probable that [eczema] does not fully resolve in most children with mild to moderate symptoms," researchers wrote in the study.

For the study, researchers examined the natural history of eczema utilizing self-reported data from a group of more than 7,000 children taking part in the Pediatric Eczema Elective Registry study to determine the prevalence of symptoms over time.

They found that at every age, from two to 26 years, more than 80 percent of the study participants had eczema symptoms or were taking medication for the condition.

In addition, 64 percent of study participants said they never experienced a six-month stretch of time where they were not applying a medication to their skin. By the age of 20, half of those patients had at least one-six month period where they were free of symptoms and treatment, HealthDay reported.

By the age of 20, however, 50 percent of the study participants had at least one six-month period where they were free of eczema symptoms and treatment, according to a journal news release.

"In conclusion, symptoms associated with atopic dermatitis seem to persist well into the second decade of a child's life and likely longer," the researchers wrote. "Physicians who treat children with mild to moderate AD should tell children and their caregivers that AD is a lifelong illness with periods of waxing and waning skin problems."

The findings were recently published in JAMA Dermatology.

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