Thaindian News

June 28 (THAINDIAN NEWS) According to the results from a new health study, dermatitis may be linked to a greater risk of cancer. and people who have been diagnosed with atopic dermatitis may stand a greater chance of contracting the disease.

Atopic dermatitis is a type of eczema which is not contagious, but is inflammatory and relapses often. It is most often seen in children, and is also known by a variety of names such as “prurigo Besnier,” “neurodermitis,” “endogenous eczema,” “flexural eczema,” “infantile eczema,” and “prurigo diathsique.” Researchers are wondering if the recurring rashes caused by this condition may actually lower the immune system enough to make the person more susceptible to cancer.

“These are difficult studies to do well, and sometimes it’s difficult to understand what they mean. I think people just need to put their results in perspective.” Dr. David Margolis, a dermatologist at the University of Pennsylvania Health System, reported. The investigators say that these results do not sufficiently prove that having atopic dermatitis can cause skin cancer.

In an email from Dr. Alejandro Arana, who is the lead physician in the study, to ‘Reuters’ he stated, “The age specific risk differences seen in this study are small, but doctors should always be aware of recent investigations and take cancer primary prevention measures in (atopic dermatitis) patients.”

When studied by age groups, people with atopic dermatitis were one and a half times more likely to get lymphoma, melanoma, and non melanoma cancer than those without the condition. In those with dermatitis, about 42 out of every 10,000 people became cancer patients, while only about 33 out of every thousand of those who did not have dermatitis ended up with the disease. With these results, Dr. Arana concluded, “We cannot establish a cause and effect relationship from one study alone. Each study should be seen as a brick in the wall of knowledge.”