Neurodermatitis (atopic dermatitis, atopic eczema) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease.
The pollen season has been in full swing for weeks.
Unfortunately, many people suffer from symptoms such as red and itchy eyes.
Special care is required for patients with atopic dermatitis: pollen can contribute to a severe form of conjunctivitis.
Experts from the German Ophthalmological Society (DOG) explain in a current release what to do in these cases.
Neurodermatitis is one of the most common skin diseases.
In Germany, more than four million people are affected.
Typical complaints are itching, eczema and very dry skin.
At present there is also a risk that those affected will develop a severe form of conjunctivitis caused by pollen.
Pollen can cause severe conjunctivitis in people with eczema
According to the allergy information service of the Helmholtz Zentrum München – German Research Center for Health and the Environment, the number of neurodermatitis diagnoses is increasing.
According to the experts, the German Dermatological Society (DDG) states that every year two million children and 2.5 million adults suffer from neurodermatitis.
“Anyone who has neurodermatitis is particularly susceptible to non-infectious conjunctivitis, which can also be triggered or exacerbated by pollen,” explains Professor Dr.
med.
Philip Maier from the Ophthalmology Clinic of the University Medical Center Freiburg.
More than four million people in Germany are affected
As the DOG writes, 25 to 40 percent of atopic dermatitis patients develop a severe form of conjunctivitis, atopic keratoconjunctivitis (AKK).
“In patients with neurodermatitis, defective filaggrin production was detected in both the skin and the cornea,” reports the Freiburg researcher, who has published a contribution on the subject with colleagues in the specialist journal “Der Ophthalmologe”.
“If left untreated, it can lead to corneal complications and therefore be dangerous for the eyesight,” says the ophthalmologist.
Experts suspect that the structural protein filaggrin could be the cause of this.
A strong eye rub caused by the itching, especially in children, can further promote corneal complications, according to a new study published in the magazine “Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology”.
“Anyone suffering from neurodermatitis and noticing signs of conjunctivitis should therefore see an ophthalmologist quickly.
This also applies if the family has eczema, ”recommends Maier.
By examining the eyelids, conjunctiva and cornea with a slit lamp microscope, the ophthalmologist recognizes whether it is a typical conjunctivitis in which both eyes are always affected.
“In principle, contact lenses should not be worn during conjunctivitis,” said the DOG expert.
In the case of severe courses, superficial defects, including ulcers, can occur on the cornea, or blood vessels grow in, which in extreme cases leads to blindness due to complete clouding of the cornea.
“In addition, there are often typical thickening on the edge of the eyelid, skin changes such as scaling or wrinkles, as well as skin cracks on the lower eyelid.
The conjunctivitis often shows no signs of improvement over a long period of time despite caring measures, ”explains Maier.
As the DOG explains, AKK initially manifests itself as “normal” conjunctivitis with itchy, red and watery eyes, swollen eyelids and a feeling of a foreign body in the eye – whereby the symptoms are often more severe than with purely allergic conjunctivitis.
But there are important differences.
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