Eczema not only has an impact in childhood and can often persist into adulthood.
The impact it has on individuals is increased due to stigma ofteb attached to many dermatological conditions . It not only affects their self esteem but also affects how they are percieved by others. Some huge assumptions of dermatological disease, like that of them being infective can place huge stresses on both primary health care services (as many of us may have experienced on GP placements here at Barts) and mental health services.
Not only does it have psychological impacts but can have a number of impacts on lifestyle. Huge amounts of time have to be spent moisturising, for example. One GP I was with last year was recommending doing this over 5 times a day. This will have impacts on individuals ability to work, their finances and their social life.
Both the phsycological and physical effects of this disease can cause individuals affected to take on a 'sick role' and it is fair to say that chronic dermatological conditions, such as eczema, and their mental health implications (eg depression) take up huge amounts of primary care resources.
