site.btaNearly 200,000 Adults, 400,000 Children in Bulgaria Have Atopic Eczema

Nearly 200,000 adults and 400,000 children in Bulgaria have atopic eczema and require daily care and support to control their condition, it transpired at an expert meeting here on September 14, World Atopic Eczema Day. Participating were leading specialists Elena Papoudzhieva, Dr. Katya Zaharieva, Dr. Neyko Neykov, and Assoc Prof Zhana Kazandzhieva.

Papoudzhieva said that people with atopic eczema can now measure the severity of their dermatitis with an online instrument called Atopimeter. It measures the impact of the atopic eczema on the patient's daily life. The new online instrument is accessible via the Patient Portal and gives patients in real time a personalized report with their results. The QR code for the Atopimeter is presented on poster boards in over 36 underground railway stations in Sofia.

In a large survey among adults with atopic dermatitis conducted by the European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients' Associations (EFA), one in four patients reported that they felt they could not cope with atopic dermatitis and were unable to control it. Many people with atopic eczema do not have an optimistic outlook on living with the disease, with 39% of patients feeling guilty about scratching and 31% feeling insecure. 

Many people with atopic dermatitis feel ashamed of their disease and try to cover it up, 61% of patients feel that their disease dictates what clothes they wear.

In many cases, emotions about their own personality are negative, with 32% of people with atopic dermatitis feeling nervous and 28% having difficulty concentrating and worrying about their lives. 

One in three people try to avoid physical contact with other people, and 39 % of participants find intimate relationships problematic. People with atopic eczema are at higher risk of developing mental disorders including anxiety, depression, attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity and suicidal thoughts, with the risk increasing as the severity of the illness does.