20 October 2002

Eczema - are we getting the right treatments?

Atopic eczema affects a fifth of schoolchildren and one in twelve adults. How much is caused by the environment someone is in, their ethnic origin, or the job they do? Which therapies actually work? The Royal Society of Medicine's Atopic Eczema meeting on 23rd October, in association with the National Eczema Society, looks at:

Do complementary therapies really work?
Professor Edzard Ernst, University of Exeter, - Complementary Therapies
About a quarter of the UK population uses complementary medicine, and it is particularly popular among patients with eczema. But how do we know what works? Professor Ernst will raise some serious concerns about the state of research into complementary treatments, suggesting that evidence for their effectiveness is "flimsy at best and non-existent at worst". He will look at the treatments that have been tested in clinical trials, including therapies based on diet, evening primrose oil and hypnotherapy, and will warn that despite its popularity, complementary medicine for eczema is "grossly under-researched."

Why aren't patients getting the newest treatments?
Dr Malcolm Rustin, The Royal Free- Adult Therapies
Major new advances in eczema treatments are being sidelined because of the cost of prescribing them, Dr Rustin will claim. He will discuss evidence from clinical trials which suggests that a new class of topical creams can control most patients' atopic eczema without the side effects associated with steroids. One of these, tacrolimus ointment, is licensed for use in the UK but costs five times as much as the older treatments. Dr Rustin will ask why, when the creams are so effective, some patients are not getting the new drugs: "is the 'system' being obstructive?".

Parents: how to help your child even when you are ready to despair
Ms Neroli Wilson, National Eczema Society - What can you do for yourself?
Neroli Wilson's son Christopher got eczema when he was thirteen months old. For the next two and a half years, she took him to GPs, dermatologists and homeopaths, but nothing worked. One day they were referred to a paediatric dermatologist who really understood what the family was going through - from sleepless nights and exhaustion to the difficulty of applying topical creams to a struggling child. In six weeks, Christopher's severe eczema was brought under control. Ms Wilson will talk from her own experience on key elements that could help every parent who is trying to cope when their child has eczema.

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