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Posted 12/28/2008 7:35 AM (GMT 0)
Anyone ever hear that there may be some kind of link between Eczema and Crohn's?? I've been told this by 1 doctor and read about it online. I have never had Eczema before until about the last 6 months. The palm of my hand is just horrible. I have tried different perscriptions to help but nothing seems to do the trick. Any comments/advice would be greatly apperciated!!!

Thanks!!!

Posted 12/28/2008 4:03 PM (GMT 0)
I have also read about the link between eczema and crohn's. I guess they're both autoimmune related. I had terrible eczema when I was a kid, on the bottoms of my feet, my hands, and on the backs of my knees and the insides of my elbows. A doctor said I was allergic to my own sweat smhair. As an adult, I've mainly dealt with it on my palms and fingers. After being very diligent in applying my prescription lotion, it finally cleared up. When I've been on prednisone, it also clears up any eczema patches right away.

Right now I'm dealing with eczema behind my knees for the first time since I was a little kid. It itches so much that I can't help scratching, which doesn't help matters. I fear it might be the humira I'm taking that caused this outbreak.

As for advice, just be very diligent with applying your prescription lotion several times a day. When I was a kid, they recommended epsom salt baths and using a heat lamp, but I can't remember if it was effective. I wonder if aloe gel would help? It's supposed to take the itch and burn out of wounds and promote healing. I might have to give that a try myself.
Posted 12/28/2008 9:31 PM (GMT 0)
thanks! I am also on humira, but I have been for over a year now. So i'm not sure what started this. Thanks again for your advice. I read on wikipedia that aloe vera could help. So I might try that as well.
Posted 12/29/2008 5:51 AM (GMT 0)
I had horrible eczema as a kid. I also have always had horrible allergies. An allergist once told me that allergies, eczema and crohn's are all related. I guess they are all immune responses.

Lucky for me, I seemed to grow out of the eczema, but I ended up with crohn's!

When my eczema was at its worst, I was always prescribed cortisone ointment. Also, I had to stay away from citrus fruits - that seemed to aggravate it. Also, Aveeno baths seemed to help.

Good luck!
Posted 12/29/2008 6:14 AM (GMT 0)
bckley,
Have you tried any probiotics? Many people have great luck with them for eczema. Good Luck!
Posted 12/29/2008 6:40 AM (GMT 0)
There are inflammatory skin issues that are linked to CD...I actually had severe eczema as a kid (it was sooo gross and very painful, it literally looked like flesh eating disease) anyhow, the only way I was able to get rid of it was by bathing in chamomile tea every night for 2 weeks...I've still had minor issues with it over the yrs (before, during CD) but nothing like when I was a kid though I'm sure a lot has to do with the fact that I treat it as soon as it appears rather then just it being let go (as my mom did when I was little)...

Try using extra virgine olive oil on it a few times a day, I actually use EVOO as a daily moisturizer (I eat it pretty much every day as well) and it's done wonders for my skin, havn't had an eczema episode since I started.

:)
Posted 12/30/2008 1:23 AM (GMT 0)
My 3 year old daughter has eczema pretty bad in the winter. We saw a dermatologist about 6 weeks ago and she suggested a hydrating soap (CeraVe), moisturizing cream (CeraVe) in the winter 2 times a day, moisturizing lotion (ceraVe) in the summer 2 times a day, daily baths with 2 heaping table spoons of baking soda in LUKE WARM water until your fingers are wrinkled and a topical prescription ointment/steriod called Elcon. It works great for us thus far. The brand name for the lotions/soap is CeraVe. You can purchase it over the counter at a pharmacy. We use Wal-Mart and they have it behind the counter so you have to ask for it but don't need a prescription. It is pricey...$13.98 for soap and $17.98 for cream..not sure on the lotion cost as we didn't purchase that yet. I had been taking her to my family dr who suggested only giving her a bath once a week which I was having major issues with. But the derm says that's "old practice" and doesn't really work any better than moisturing and hydrating your skin properly. One key thing is to PAT dry IMMEDIATELY after showering/bathing and apply cream/lotion IMMEDIATELY before leaving the bathroom or doing anything else. It helps replinish your skin the best according to our derm.

Hope this helps!!

PS I have psorasis which isn't as easy to treat or deal with so I know how annoying and painful the dry itching skin can be!!!

Posted 8/5/2010 3:53 AM (GMT 0)
Hello
My name is Angela Ive had chronic eczema for a large portion of my life eczema my whole life. I am now 29 years old had this sine i was 2 weeks old. My doctor prescribes steroids for me when it get out of hand. Ive used so many of them i have to go with stronger ones now for psoriasis. I recently had my tubes tied and was put on a course of antibiotics which triggers a yeast infection. I used mono-stat to clear it up. Then after about a week i needed more antibiotics cus my surgery wasn't healing well. Got another yeast infection this time it was a doosy of one sever itching. I went and had an oral yeast infection pill prescribed by a doctor it did nothing then went on mono-stat again. It seemed to clear it up but again i seem to be getting my infection back again. This time the insides of my arms are beat read and i got a bad rash its even on my chin :(. This is the first time i have heard that eczema and Crohn's disease go hand n hand. I do have a lot of diarrhea and now i am wondering if i should be checked. Both my girls have eczema too. does anyone know how they test for this disease?
Posted 8/5/2010 4:30 PM (GMT 0)

I contracted nummular eczema 8 years before being diagnosed with Crohn's. I've never been able to get rid of it completely and I've tried numerous topical steroids and alternative treatments to clear it up. Actually, when I was prescribed an 8 week course of prednisone after my CD diagnosis, the eczema did disappear, but came roaring back after the pred was stopped. I was hoping that the SCD might clear it up, but no dice.

All that said, a few months ago I stumbled across a website for a lady who practices Chinese medicine and runs a clinic (called the Merry Li Clinic) totally devoted to treating skin disorders. Her products aren't cheap, but she offers a money back guarantee and receives a high rating from the Better Business Bureau, so I figured what the hey, what have I got to lose?

I've been using her supplements for about the last two months and have seen really tremendous improvement. I'd say that I'm at least 90% cleared up. I plan to stay on the supps for a couple more months and then stop and see what happens. Anybody who is interested can easily find her website by searching her clinic's name.

Posted 8/5/2010 11:24 PM (GMT 0)
I'm a firm believer that I have TNF-blocker-induced psoriasis, whether my GI or dermatologist agrees that that's even possible (some studies have been ddone, citing it does happen, and my previous dermatologist agreed). That said, I've also developed eczema and folliculitis since my Crohn's diagnosis.

Similarly, the months before I was diagnosed, I had an inexplicable rash on my upper left arm. It was misdiagnosed initially as bed bugs (eeek) but no one could ever find out what it is. So basically, I'm convinced these sorts of skin problems are related to Crohn's and possibly to TNF-blockers. Fortunately for me, it only acts up in the fall/winter months, and is generally controlled with a variety of creams.

When I was suffering badly and doing OK crohn's wise, my doctor suggested I could stop the Humira for a month to see if it helped at all, but for me I'd rather be dealing with skin issues than be in a bad flare.
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