Psoriasis Archive

News briefs

Eczema is a common and chronic inflammatory condition that leaves skin dry and itchy. A large study published in the February 2020 issue of The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology found that people with eczema had an increased bone fracture risk, especially if the eczema was severe. Researchers compared 500,000 adults with eczema to more than 2.5 million people who didn't have eczema. Over a period of five years, people with eczema appeared to have slightly higher rates (7% to 18%) of wrist, hip, pelvis, and spine fractures, compared with people who didn't have eczema. People with severe eczema had much higher rates of hip fractures (50% higher), pelvis fractures (66% higher), and spine fractures (109% higher, or more than double the risk) than people without eczema. The study is observational and doesn't prove that eczema causes bone fractures; it could be that certain medications and lifestyle habits contributed to broken bones in the study. "But based on the findings, people with eczema should be aware their skin condition may increase the risk for osteoporosis and bone fractures, and should talk to their health care provider to decide if preventive measures and screening tests for osteoporosis are warranted. Healthy lifestyle choices, such as getting enough calcium and vitamin D and getting regular aerobic and weight-bearing exercise, are important for everyone and may be particularly important for people with eczema," says Dr. Robert Shmerling, a rheumatologist at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

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Ask the doctors

Q. My skin has been breaking out since I entered menopause. Why is this happening, and what can I do about it?

A. Many women notice changes to their skin at menopause. For some women this means dryness, age spots, or a tendency toward bruising. For others, estrogen levels drop while male hormone levels, such as testosterone, remain the same, which can prompt acne breakouts.

You don’t need your spleen to live a normal, healthy life, but the spleen does play an important role in defending the body against infection, so those without it need to take certain precautions to ensure they remain healthy.

People living with HIV can suppress the virus by taking medication daily. If the level of virus in a person’s blood is suppressed successfully, research shows that the virus isn’t passed on to others. U=U means “undetectable equals untransmittable.”

As the coronavirus pandemic stretches on, many people wonder when they can go back to their workplaces. The answers may depend on where a person lives and works, findings from antibody tests, and other factors.

In our inner cities, the COVID-19 pandemic comes on top of another crisis that has plagued our country for years: the opioid epidemic. The combined effects of these two events are immense, and highlight already-existing problems with our society and our health care system.

Since most of us have been at home for several weeks, it’s natural to be thinking about intimacy with our partners. But is it safe to have sex during this time? What factors might make it unsafe?

Millions of healthcare workers on the front lines of the fight against the coronavirus have a much higher risk of becoming infected, and are being put in further danger due to shortages of protective equipment, but they continue to do their jobs while adapting to current conditions.

We all know we’re supposed to wash our hands thoroughly many times a day to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but doing so can make skin dry and cracked. What’s the best way to combat this?