Climate change may relieve eczema

A brief change from a temperate climate to a subtropical climate results in significant improvements in skin symptoms and quality of life for children with eczema. Researchers from the University of Oslo, USA, assigned 56 children between the ages of 4 and 13 years with moderate to serious eczema to spend 4 weeks in the Canary Isles or to remain home in Norway for a similar period. The children were followed up for 3 months thereafter. In the group that went to the Canaries, the average score on a standard eczema scale improved significantly at 1 month and 3 months later, while the stay-home group improved only slightly. The change in quality-of-life measures showed a similar pattern. The above results support the effects of the present programme for climate travels for children with atopic eczema.