ATOPIC DERMATITIS: HOW GUT HEALTH COULD BE THE MISSING PIECE IN MANAGING ECZEMA

For years, atopic dermatitis (AD) - otherwise known as eczema -was regarded as a localized skin problem, one that for decades was considered treatable with topical creams or corticosteroids. Over time, a growing body of evidence has challenged the notion that eczema is only “skin deep”. This has been aided by growing interest and the emergence of a new area of research focused on the gut-skin axis, which has opened an entirely new landscape for how we inject ourselves into the assessment and management of chronic skin diseases. Emerging evidence and ongoing work is revealing that gut microbiome dysbiosis may trigger or play a role in the exacerbation of inflammatory skin diseases.

- DR. SHITIJ GOEL

For years, atopic dermatitis (AD) otherwise known as eczema - was regarded as a localized skin problem, one that for decades was considered treatable with topical creams or corticosteroids. Over time, a growing body of evidence has challenged the notion that eczema is only "skin deep". This has been aided by growing interest and the emergence of a new area of research focused on the gutskin axis, which has opened an entirely new landscape for how we inject ourselves into the assessment and management of chronic skin diseases.

Emerging evidence and ongoing work is revealing that gut microbiome dysbiosis may trigger or play a role in the exacerbation of inflammatory skin diseases.

This is a major shift in thinking that is informing how dermatologists, immunologists, and gastroenterologists think about the treatment and prevention of eczema and the possibility of causing deeper healing within the Gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This degree of shift is also garnering interest from healthcare institutions, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, and nutraceutical companies trying to build around microbiome therapies as adjuvant therapies for eczema and other chronic skin illnesses.