Air pollution could be to blame for eczema. For research suggests people living in heavily polluted cities are at higher risk of developing the condition.
They’re also more likely to struggle with flare ups when air quality is considered ‘moderate’ — typically seen in the likes of London and New York — according to the same study.
It comes just days after experts found air pollution breathed in by women during pregnancy may be linked to a greater risk of autism in their offspring.
In this new research, US researchers tracked over 286,000 adults in more than 780 areas, asking them about their general health.
The average levels of particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM2.5), close to their homes were also assessed.
These are the tiniest microscopic particles in the air that can penetrate deep into tissue and have been linked to health woes such as heart disease and dementia.
Factors that could skew the results, such as food allergies and smoking status, were also accounted for.
Research suggests people living in heavily polluted cities are at higher risk of developing eczema
This map shows the 10 areas with highest levels of air pollution recorded in 2023. These areas had almost double or triple the levels of of particulate matter, recommended by the World Health Organization
Researchers at Yale University in Connecticut found that for every 10 microgram per cubic metre increase in PM2.5, eczema rates more than doubled.
Study lead author and assistant professor of dermatology at Yale University, Jeffrey Cohen, said: ‘In more polluted areas of the country, there was more eczema.’
Writing in the journal PLOS ONE, the researchers also added: ‘Showing that individuals in the United States who are exposed to particulate matter are more likely to have eczema deepens our understanding of the important health implications of ambient air pollution.’
The scientists, however, acknowledged the study had some limitations including only using P.M.2.5 data for each location from 2015.
The World Health Organization has long demanded countries take tougher action to combat the scourge of pollution, which is thought to kill 7million people every year globally.
Eczema is a group of inflammatory skin conditions causing itchiness, dry skin, rashes, scaly patches and infections that affect up to 25 per cent of the population.
The condition can intensify to such an extent it becomes debilitating, with inflamed skin all over the body.
At least one in ten children will have eczema at some point but they will typically grow out of it as their immune system develops.
It is believed to occur in people with a common genetic mutation that leads to very dry skin.
Flare-ups of symptoms can also be linked to allergies or triggered by certain soaps or foods.
Dermatologists will usually first prescribe creams and washes to deal with the dry skin, and steroid creams to reduce swelling and redness.
If these are ineffective then immunosuppressant drugs, such as ciclosporin or methotrexate, are given.
It comes as researchers this week also suggested that air pollution may be linked to a greater risk of developing autism.
A review of the latest scientific literature outlined how babies with a higher genetic risk of the developmental disorder exposed to four common air pollutants were more likely to develop the condition.
It’s thought that when breathed in during early childhood, or in development in the womb, these microscopic pollutants can get into the bloodstream.
There, they can bypass the protective layers of the brain, causing inflammation, changing the way nerves function, increasing the risk of disorder.
Autism rates have exploded worldwide.
Analysis shows diagnoses of the disorder have risen nearly 800 per cent in Britain over the last few decades, with rates nearly tripling in the US.
