- Researchers say children with eczema are more likely to develop learning disabilities.
- They said they’re not sure what the correlation is, but it could be that the itching and scratching from the condition disrupt sleep as well as concentration.
- One expert said medications given to children with learning disabilities may also be a factor.
When two of Christopher Adams’ children developed eczema around 7 or 8 years old, he and his wife saw more changes in their kids than just the obvious skin trouble.
“We have seen a decline in both of their concentration and focusing abilities in school and at home, and we are fairly confident it is directly correlated to the skin conditions,” Adams, the founder of aquarium website ModestFish.com, told Healthline.
After several appointments with doctors, tests on both boys — now 12 and 14 — weren’t conclusive for any of the usual learning disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
But something was causing a learning disruption for them that their other son — who didn’t have eczema — didn’t experience.
“Our psychologists agreed that the onset of learning disability has some correlation to them being focused on their bodies at times of breakouts, instead of what they should be concentrating on,” Adams said.
Researchers behind a
They report that children with eczema are up to three times as likely to have a learning disability than those without the condition.
Eczema (atopic dermatitis, also called AD) is a chronic condition that makes the skin itchy and could appear red, purple, or gray, depending on your skin tone. It’s common in children but can occur at any age. It flares periodically and is more common in people who also have asthma and hay fever.
There’s no cure, but treatment and self-care can relieve itching and prevent new outbreaks.
More than 30 million people in the United States have some form of eczema.
Source: healthline