Climate change may relieve children's eczema

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A brief change from a temperate climate to a subtropical climate results in significant improvements in skin symptoms and quality of life for children with eczema, researchers report.

Dr. Kai-Hakon Carlsen and colleagues from the University of Oslo assigned 56 children between the ages of 4 and 13 years with moderate to serious eczema to spend 4 weeks in the Canary Isles (paid for my the Norwegian health system) or to remain home in Norway for a similar period. The children were followed up for 3 months thereafter.

In the group that went to the Canaries, the average score on a standard eczema scale improved significantly at 1 month and 3 months later, while the stay-home group improved only slightly, according to the study results published in the medical journal Allergy.

The change in quality-of-life measures showed a similar pattern.

"The results support the effects of the present programme for climate travels for children with atopic eczema as organized by the Norwegian Health Authorities," the authors conclude.

SOURCE: Allergy, December 2006.