“The terrible itching is also sad”…is there a high risk of ‘this disease’ if you have atopy?

Skin eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, increases the risk of serious peripheral vascular disease (PVD), which could lead to amputation, a new study suggests. This is what the health and medicine webzine ‘Health Day’ reported on the 22nd (local time) based on a paper by researchers at Yale University published in Clinical and Experimental Dermatology.

Researchers analyzed data on more than 260,000 American adults collected by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and found that people with eczema had a 23 percent higher risk of developing peripheral vascular disease, even after adjusting for other risk factors. did it Peripheral vascular disease occurred in 11% of eczema patients, while it occurred in only 6% of patients without skin disease.

Professor Jeffrey Cohen (dermatology) of Yale University School of Medicine, a member of the research team, said, “Through this study, our understanding of the relationship between atopic dermatitis and cardiovascular disease has deepened.” If you have peripheral vascular disease, the blood vessels in your legs become narrowed. People begin to feel pain in their legs and may develop non-healing sores in pressure areas such as the heels or ankles. In severe cases, gangrene may develop in the limbs, requiring amputation.

It is unclear why eczema increases the risk of arterial narrowing, the researchers said. Eczema is related to allergies and can be caused by the body’s immune system. Professor Cohen said, “There is insufficient evidence to explain the relationship between peripheral vascular disease and atopic dermatitis, but it is likely that factors such as body inflammation, low levels of physical activity, and sleep disorders that occur in patients with atopic dermatitis play a role.” .

Based on the results of this study, the researchers ordered doctors to carefully monitor the heart and blood vessel health of eczema patients. Professor Cohen explained, “As the understanding of cardiovascular disease in patients with atopic dermatitis deepens, the importance of preventive treatment such as regular cardiovascular examinations and appropriate treatment for cardiovascular risk factors is emphasized.”

The paper can be found at the following link: