The Idea of an Essay, Volume 4

200 The Idea of an Essay: Volume 4 the disease (Robert & Wallach). Many people who suffer from eczema may also suffer from asthma, or allergies, also known as hay fever, as these autoimmune diseases are commonly linked together. “Doctors think eczema causes are linked to allergic diseases, such as hay fever or asthma…[they] call this the atopic triad;” up to eighty percent of children with eczema are likely to develop hay fever as well as asthma, if they are not already coping with them (“Eczema”). All these symptoms intensify the degree of severity. The severity of eczema comes and goes in cycles. There are times when symptoms are less severe and more manageable because the skin is less inflamed, thus the person feels better and more normal. Flares are the other side of the cycle. They constitute the skin inflaming and are red, itchy, and painful. As with all symptoms of eczema, it is very individual. Some people are far more uncomfortable than others during flares. Patients with moderate eczema go through about eight flares a year, and each flare lasts for about two weeks; hence “patients spend around a third of the year (113 days) suffering eczema exacerbations” (Greener 438). Sensitivities to allergens most often trigger eczema and flares. According to the National Eczema Association’s article, “Eczema”, these include anything from mold, pollen, pets, soaps and detergents; to food, especially dairy, eggs, nuts, soy, and wheat; in addition to contact with disinfectants or juices from food, especially meats, fruits, and veggies. Krämer and colleagues, as cited by Greener, “examined seasonal changes in 39 children with eczema. Just over half (54%) experienced symptoms predominately during the winter,” and the remainder suffered more in the summer, especially on days with higher counts of grass pollen (438). This evidence reveals that half of people suffering from eczema in this study were more sensitive to indoor allergens, like pets and detergents, while seasonal allergens affected the other half more, such as pollen and mold. Food sensitivities could equally affect both sides of the study. Eczema symptoms affect people of all ages, but they most often pertain to children. Eczema affects twenty percent of all school age children (Lawton “Managing Difficult and Severe Eczema in Children” 26). While it is most common in children, it affects many adults as well. “One fifth of the population [will deal with eczema] at some point in their life…it affects both sexes and all races (Watkins 322). Hence, the statistics of one exhibiting symptoms of