Vitamin D Council | Vitamin D and eczema

Summary

Eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is a chronic skin disorder that causes inflammation and red, dry, rough, and itchy skin. Eczemais most common in infants and young children, but you can also develop the disorder as an adult and continue to have it as an adult.

Scientists are not sure what exactly causes eczema, but they think its a combination of genetics and the environment. People with eczemahave immune systems and skin barriers that dont work properly.

Some studies have found that both children and adults with eczemaare more likely to have low levels of vitamin D. Lower vitamin D levels are also linked to more severe skin symptoms. Research has found that people who have eczemaand low levels of vitamin D are more likely to get infections on their skin.

More experiments need to be done to determine if vitamin D is an effective treatment for people with eczema. Doctors dont know yet whether taking a vitamin D supplement, or getting more sun exposure, can help to prevent or treat eczema.

If you have eczemaand want to take vitamin D, it is unlikely to make your eczemaworse or cause you any harm, as long as you take less than 10,000 IU per day. However, its not proven that taking vitamin D will help to treat your eczema. It is also not proven that taking vitamin D will reduce your risk of developing eczema.

If you have eczema, you shouldnt take vitamin D in place of your treatment medications. Talk to your physician for more advice about taking supplements.

Eczemais the most common skin condition in infants and usually develops during the first year of life.

Eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is a chronic, but not contagious, skin disorder that causes inflammation and results in red, dry, rough, and itchy skin.

Usually, eczemadevelops in infants during the first year of life. eczemais the most common skin condition in infants. The majority of children with eczemago into remission as adults. However, about 10% of people who have eczemaas a child will continue to have it later in life.

When you have eczema, there are periods of flare-ups, when your skin is very itchy and inflamed, and periods of remission, which is when you dont experience symptoms of the disease.

About half of all children with eczemawill also develop asthma and/or allergies. People with eczemaare also more likely to get skin infections. Constant itching and scratching can damage the barrier of the skin and allow bacteria to get past the surface of the skin1.

Symptoms of eczemainclude:

Usually, eczemacauses you to develop itchy patches on your hands, feet, elbows, behind the knees, face, neck, and ankles. However, these patches can occur anywhere on your body. eczemacan affect your eyes, causing itchy, red and swollen areas around them1.

About 10-20% of children and 3% of adults have eczema2. There are some factors that can increase your risk of developing eczema, including3,4:

Where you live might also affect whether or not you develop eczema. People who live in urban areas, cold climates, industrialized countries, or northern latitudes are more likely to have eczema5.

Scientists are not sure what exactly causes eczema, but they think its a combination of the genes you are born with and the environment that you live in. When you have eczema, there are certain triggers that can make your eczemaflare up and become worse, including4,6:

Eczemadevelops when the barrier of your skin and your immune system dont work properly. This causes dryness of the skin and allows bacteria to get inside your skin, causing irritation and itchiness. When you have eczemayou experience an ongoing cycle of skin infections, leading to inflammation and itchiness, which then leads to more skin infections5.

Overall, there is some combination of genetics and the environment that causes eczemato develop.

Vitamin D is an important part of the immune system. When you have eczema, your immune system and skin barrier dont work properly. Some studies have found that people with eczemaare more likely to have lower levels of vitamin D7,8. Lower vitamin D levels are also linked to more severe eczemasymptoms9.

Vitamin D receptors are found on the surface of a cell, where they receive vitamin D. By attaching themselves to a receptor, vitamin D directs a cell to act in a certain way, such as to divide or die.

Vitamin D increases amounts of good antimicrobial proteins in the skin, which destroy invading germs and viruses.

There are vitamin D receptors found on cells in the immune system and the skin, and vitamin D can bind to these receptors. Vitamin D works in the immune system by reducing levels of inflammatory proteins called cytokines, as well as increasing amounts of good antimicrobial proteins in the skin, which destroy invading germs and viruses.

This combination of lowering inflammation and increasing antimicrobial defenses can help your immune system fight infections better. Vitamin D also helps to strengthen the barriers of your skin. Having enough vitamin D in your body could help to prevent infection and lower inflammation in people with eczema10.

However, some studies have also shown that having high levels of vitamin D may increase your risk of allergic skin diseases, including eczema. Researchers of these studies think that perhaps both very low and very high levels of vitamin D in infancy could increase your chances of developing eczema11,12. Since these results are conflicting, it is clear that more research needs to be done to determine the role that vitamin D plays in the development of eczema.

Not too many studies have been conducted that analyze the effect of vitamin D on preventing eczema. Some research has shown that people who have low levels of vitamin D are more likely to develop allergic diseases like eczema. Research has also found that children whose mothers had low levels of vitamin D during pregnancy are at a higher risk of developing eczema13.

Some scientists think that fetal and early life exposures can determine someones risk for allergy and eczemalater in life. Vitamin D status in prenatal and early life stages is one of the things that researchers think may affect someones chances of developing eczema14.

A study done on pregnant mothers and their children found that babies with the lowest level of vitamin D at birth had the highest risk of developing eczemaby age 514. Research done on Chinese children found that having very low levels of vitamin D was strongly linked to having eczemaduring childhood15.

Most studies have suggested that vitamin D plays a role in the progression of allergic diseases, like eczema. People with eczemawho have low levels of vitamin D tend to have worse symptoms. A study done on children with eczemaand allergies found that those with the lowest levels of vitamin D had the most severe form of the disease13.

Other studies have shown that children with eczemawho have low levels of vitamin D are more likely to have other skin problems, such as increased infections, compared to children with eczemawho had higher levels of vitamin D16.

Although studies have shown a link between low vitamin D levels and increased eczemaseverity, more experiments need to be done to determine whether or not vitamin D can help to manage eczema.

A study done in 2012 in Australia looked at pairs of mothers and their newborn infants. The researchers looked at vitamin D levels in the mothers and newborns and whether or not the infants developed eczema. They found that17:

A newborns vitamin D level is related to its mothers vitamin D level. The researchers concluded that low levels of vitamin D in mothers during pregnancy may be related to their infants developing eczema. Improving vitamin D levels in pregnant women may help prevent eczema in their children.

An experiment done in 2012 gave people over age 14 with eczemaeither 1600 IU of vitamin D or a dummy pill daily for 60 days. The researchers looked at eczemaseverity and symptoms between the 2 groups. They found that18:

An experiment published in 2008 looked at 11 children with eczemain the winter. The children either got 1000 IU of vitamin D or a dummy pill for 1 month. The researchers looked at something called the IGA score, which measures symptoms and severity of eczema. They found that19:

The researchers stated that taking a vitamin D supplement may be helpful to manage eczemasymptoms, especially in the wintertime. Many people have worse eczemasymptoms during the winter months, which could be related to lower vitamin D levels from reduced sunlight exposure.

A study published in 2013 in Poland gave vitamin D supplements to adults with eczemawho had low levels of vitamin D. The people all got 2000 IU of vitamin D daily for 3 months in the wintertime. The researchers looked at eczemaseverity and symptoms before and after supplementation and found that20:

The researchers conclude that supplementing with vitamin D may help to manage and treat the skin symptoms associated with eczema. Vitamin D causes skin cells to make more antimicrobial proteins, which is why people with low levels of vitamin D tend to have more skin infections.

Sufficient vitamin D levels may help reduce your risk of eczema while very high levels of vitamin D in infancy may increase your risk later in life.

Research has shown that there is a link between vitamin D and eczema. While most of this research has shown that having sufficient levels of vitamin D may reduce your risk of developing eczema, some studies have also shown that very high levels of vitamin D in infancy may increase your risk later in life.

Research has shown that having good levels of vitamin D can help to manage eczemasymptoms. People who take vitamin D supplements have lower disease activity and fewer skin infections.

However, more experiments need to be done to determine if vitamin D is an effective treatment for people with eczema. Doctors dont know yet whether taking a vitamin D supplement, or getting more sun exposure, can help to prevent or treat eczema.

If you have eczemaand want to take vitamin D, its unlikely to make your eczemaworse or cause you any harm, as long as you take less than 10,000 IU per day. However, its not proven that taking vitamin D will help prevent or treat eczema.

If you have eczema, you shouldnt take vitamin D in place of your treatment medications. Talk to your physician for more advice about taking supplements.

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Vitamin D Council | Vitamin D and eczema