Acting on the evidence

摘要

A topic eczema, the largest group among nine types of eczema, has become so widespread that it now affects approximately one in five children living in cities across the world, according to estimates by the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC)1. The name 'atopic eczema', however, is a misnomer. Diagnosis is based on itching, visible signs of eczema affecting the skin folds, and family history, but ISAAC studies show that around half of those so described are not, in fact, atopic (predisposed to allergic hypersensitivity) - they do not have elevated IgE antibodies in their blood against common environmental allergens.