While more than 31 million adults and children in the US suffer from the eczema, the daily impact and overall burden for each individual can differ greatly from person to person and within a person’s lifetime, according to the National Eczema Association (NEA).  This chronic, non-contagious and often debilitating inflammatory skin disease known impacts more than just the skin; it can wreak havoc on one’s mental health, too.
 
This month marks Eczema Awareness Month, and NEA’s awareness campaign this year will focus on the diversity of experiences of living with and caring for eczema.  
 
In connection with the campaign, the NEA has released a new video highlighting the variability and individuality of eczema. According to NEA, there are seven different types of eczema, in varying degrees of severity, and it is possible to have more than one type.
 

 
NEA’s Eczema Awareness Month 2021 is supported in part by pharma giants AbbVie, Sanofi, Eli Lilly, Incyte and Dermavant as well as by skin care brands Earth Mama and CeraVe. 
 
Each week in October NEA will zero in on a different aspect of eczema from heterogeneity to support and decision making. Week 4 (10/18-10/24/2021) will explore treatment.

Eczema Facts

People of all races, ages, and skin types suffer from eczema:

• Caucasian – 11% 
• African American/Black – 10% 
• Asian or Pacific Islander – 13% 
• Native American – 13% 
 
Eczema has the highest effect on disability-associated life years for patients with skin diseases worldwide.
 
Recent studies have suggested that people with atopic dermatitis (AD), the most common form of eczema, are up to 44% more likely to exhibit suicidal ideation, and 36% are more likely to attempt suicide.  
 
Nearly 40% of patients with eczema reported that they turned down a job or an educational opportunity due to their disease, and almost 6 million workdays annually are lost due to eczema.  
 
The good news is: this is an unprecedented era of promise, according to NEA President and CEO Julie Block. 
 
“As our collective understanding of the complex, dynamic and individualized nature of eczema continues to evolve, we are buoyed by a surge in  scientific interest and the prospect of targeted new treatments in development to help a diverse array of eczema sufferers,” she said.