Can severe eczema be related to a bacterial infection?
Most chronic eczema patients carry Staphylococcus aureus bacteria on their skin, and studies suggest that the bugs release toxins that can worsen rashes. The infections seem to arise largely because the skin’s innate immune defenses are partly impaired. Immunologists at National Jewish Medical and Research Center reported in 2002 that patients make insufficient amounts of microbe-fighting proteins in their skin. Not all eczema patients should be given antibiotics, especially given the concern over creating drug resistance in bacteria. But in severe cases where eczema lesions have become infected, the physician may prescribe oral or topical antibiotics, or even advise adding a small amount of bleach to bath water. • What is the connection between eczema and asthma, hay fever and food allergies? All these conditions tend to travel together, and a family history of any of these illnesses raises the odds of recurring eczema. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, around 50 perce
