Facts and figures 3

Do people with eczema have a higher chance of developing
asthma?
Atopic eczema, asthma and hay fever tend to go together as ‘atopic’
diseases. Asthma is a common disease in its own right as it affects
up to 10% of people at some time in their life. A child with eczema
has an increased risk of suffering from asthma as well – perhapsup to a 50% chance. Eczema tends to start earlier in life, and
research is being done to see whether any form of treatment for
the eczema will make later asthma less likely.
I moved to England from Jamaica 16 years ago. Two of my
children have eczema, and I have other friends who also
have affected children. Is eczema more common in the UK
than in the West Indies?
Yes, it seems that eczema is much more common in the UK. One
recent study showed that eczema is almost twice as common
among schoolchildren in London than in Kingston, Jamaica. When
just the black children were studied, the difference was even more
marked – eczema was up to four times more common in London.
This difference also seems to apply to Indian and Bangladeshi
populations living in the UK.