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The Connection Between Eczema and Your Heart Health
While your skin and your heart might seem unrelated, they both play essential roles in your overall health. And when you have an inflammatory skin condition, like eczema, your heart and arteries may have a greater risk of inflammation, too.
Fortunately, managing your eczema and protecting your heart health can benefit your health across the board.
At her offices in Valencia, Burbank, and Lancaster, California, Dr. Maricar Cutillar-Garcia provides comprehensive eczema care for people of all ages. She put the following information together to help you understand the eczema heart health link.
The eczema and heart health link
Research has shown that people with eczema have an increased risk for heart-related conditions, including heart attack, blood clots in the legs, and stroke.
While the link isn’t fully understood, the inflammation involved in all of these conditions seems to play a significant role. Severe eczema is linked with the most intense conditions, like heart failure.
Having additional risk factors for heart disease, such as sleep challenges, inactivity, or a drinking or smoking habit, increases your odds of both eczema flare-ups and cardiovascular events.
Prolonged oral steroid use for eczema increases your risk of heart issues, too. One or more prescriptions exceeding 30 days or multiple longer-term prescriptions are considered lengthy.
Reducing eczema flare-ups
Getting a handle on your eczema symptoms reduces inflammation throughout your body, improving your skin and heart health. Dr. Cutillar-Garcia can help determine your best eczema treatment, including helpful lifestyle changes.
Your customized plan might include:
- Allergy testing and treatment
- An eczema-friendly moisturizing cream
- Prescription topical medication
- Light therapy (phototherapy)
- Immunosuppressants
- Injectable biologics
Lifestyle measures that can help include using a humidifier, showering after sweating, taking warm (not hot) baths and showers, and using fragrance-free beauty and household products.
Managing stress can help reduce inflammation while protecting your skin and heart as well. Research shows that meditation can ease stress responses in the body and help modulate inflammatory conditions.
More heart-healthy lifestyle habits
To benefit your skin and cardiovascular system in other ways, cultivate a heart-healthy lifestyle. Helpful practices include eating an anti-inflammatory diet, which emphasizes nutrient-dense foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and exercising regularly.
You can also boost your heart health by quitting smoking, improving your sleep habits, and scheduling routine physicals to make sure your blood pressure stays in a healthy place. High blood pressure is often asymptomatic until a cardiac event occurs.
To learn more about the connection between eczema and heart health or get started with expert care, call our office or request an appointment through our website today.