Eczema Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Eczema, including details on dermatitis, skin rashes, medication, treatment, causes, creams.

The changing face of dermatological practice: 25 years' experience.

Benton EC, Kerr OA, Fisher A, Fraser SJ, McCormack SK, Tidman MJ

Department of Dermatology, Lauriston Building, The Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh EH3 9HA, UK.

Background In order to plan appropriate delivery of dermatology services we need periodically to assess the type of work we undertake and to examine changing trends in the numbers and type of referrals and the workload these referrals generate. Objectives To quantify outpatient workload in hospital-based and private practice; to assess reasons for referral to secondary care and to examine the changes over 25 years in the diagnostic spectrum of conditions referred. Methods During November 2005, all outpatient dermatological consultations in the south-east of Scotland were recorded. Demographic data, source of and reason for referral, diagnoses, investigations performed, treatment administered and disposal were recorded, and comparisons made with four previous studies. Results During the 1-month study, attendances were recorded for 2118 new and 2796 review patients (new/review 1 : 1.3, female/male 1.3 : 1, age range 0-106 years). Eighty-nine per cent of new referrals came from primary care and 11% from secondary care. Fifty-seven per cent of referrals were for diagnosis and 38% for management advice. Benign tumours accounted for 33.4%, malignant tumours 11.6%, eczema 16% and psoriasis 7.4% of new cases. For return patients, 20% had skin cancer, 16.5% eczema, 13.4% psoriasis and 9% acne. The referral rate has risen over 25 years from 12.6 per 1000 population in 1980 to 21 per 1000 in 2005, with secondary care referrals increasing from 61 in November 1980 to 230 in November 2005. Conclusions Attendances for benign and malignant skin tumours have increased sixfold since 1980. Patients with eczema and psoriasis account for one third of clinic visits. New referrals have risen by 67%, with those from other hospital specialties almost quadrupling since 1980 to 11% of the total in 2005. These results confirm the demand from both primary and secondary care for a specialist dermatology service.

Published 20 June 2008 in Br J Dermatol.
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Articles on Eczema published 18 June 2008:

Pre and probiotics in the prevention and treatment of food allergy.   Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol, 8(3): 243-8.

PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW: Recent studies on the pathogenesis of allergy in both man and experimental animals continue to show the importance of commensal bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract in stimulating and directing the immune system. The interest in modulating commensal bacterial flora with prebiotics and probiotics to prevent and treat food allergy has multiplied in recent years. RECENT FINDINGS: Studies on prevention suggest that probiotic supplementation reduces IgE-associated eczema. It ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Eczema published 12 June 2008:

Roles of Aquaporin-3 in the Epidermis.   J Invest Dermatol.

Aquaporin-3 (AQP3) is a membrane transporter of water and glycerol expressed in plasma membranes in the basal layer keratinocytes of epidermis in normal skin. AQP3 expression in human skin is increased in response to skin stress in diseases such as atopic eczema, to various agents such as retinoic acid, and in skin carcinomas. AQP3-knockout mice have reduced stratum corneum water content and elasticity compared with wild-type mice, as well as impaired wound healing and epidermal biosynthesis. ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Eczema published 10 June 2008:

In-situ-topoproteome analysis of cutaneous lymphomas: Perspectives of assistance for dermatohistologic diagnostics by Multi Epitope Ligand Cartography (MELC).   J Dtsch Dermatol Ges.

Background: Immunophenotyping is essential for diagnostics of cutaneous lymphomas. In this regard we present a skin tissue-adapted application platform of MELC technology. Patients and Methods: This topoproteome analysis allows the subcellular colo-calization of at least n = 100 epitopes in situ. For this purpose the specimen is processed by a Toponome Imaging Cycler((R)) for a n-fold repetition of the following cycle: 1) staining with a fluorophore-labeld antibody, 2) fluorescence-imaging, and ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Eczema published 9 June 2008:

Advances in allergic skin disease, anaphylaxis, and hypersensitivity reactions to foods, drugs, and insects in 2007.   J Allergy Clin Immunol, 121(6): 1351-8.

This review highlights some of the research advances in allergic skin disease, anaphylaxis, and hypersensitivity reactions to foods, drugs, and insects that were reported primarily in the Journal in 2007. Advances in diagnosis include possible biomarkers for anaphylaxis, improved understanding of the relevance of food-specific serum IgE tests, identification of possibly discriminatory T-cell responses for drug allergy, and an elucidation of irritant responses for vaccine allergy diagnostic skin ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Preventive effect of hydrolyzed infant formulas persists until age 6 years: long-term results from the German Infant Nutritional Intervention Study (GINI).   J Allergy Clin Immunol, 121(6): 1442-7.

BACKGROUND: The long-term effect of nutritional intervention with hydrolyzed infant formulas on allergy development has not been sufficiently evaluated. OBJECTIVE: We performed a follow-up of the German Infant Nutritional Intervention study until 6 years of life to investigate the long-term allergy-preventive effect of 3 hydrolyzed infant formulas compared with cow's milk formula (CMF) in a randomized, double-blind trial. METHODS: Between 1995 and 1998, 2252 newborns with atopic heredity were ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Epidemiologic risks for food allergy.   J Allergy Clin Immunol, 121(6): 1331-6.

This article reviews possible risk factors and theories for the development of food allergy. It is noted that previous strategies to prevent food allergy through allergen avoidance during pregnancy, breast-feeding, and infancy have more recently been called into question. Alternative hypotheses are examined with respect to food allergy, namely the hygiene hypothesis, the dietary fat hypothesis, the antioxidant hypothesis, and the vitamin D hypotheses. An alternative hypothesis is proposed, ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Hand eczema severity and quality of life: a cross-sectional, multicentre study of hand eczema patients.   Contact Dermatitis.

Background and Objectives: Hand eczema is a chronic disease with negative impact on quality of life (QoL). In this study, QoL in hand eczema patients is assessed and related to age, sex, severity, and diagnostic subgroups. Methods: A total of 416 patients with hand eczema from 10 European patch test clinics participated in the study. Data on QoL were obtained from a self-administered questionnaire using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Severity was assessed by a scoring system (Hand ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Decreasing trends in methyldibromo glutaronitrile contact allergy - following regulatory intervention.   Contact Dermatitis.

Background: The preservative methyldibromo glutaronitrile (MDBGN) has been banned, first from stay-on, and later from rinse-off cosmetics, in the EU countries because of increasing rates of contact allergy. Objectives: To evaluate the frequency of contact allergy to MDBGN among patients patch tested by the Danish Contact Dermatitis Group just before and following regulatory decisions. Patients/Methods: The data set comprised 19 279 consecutive eczema patients patch tested from 2003-2007 with ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

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