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Histamine therapy for eczema back in favor after research

Histamine therapy for eczema back in favor after research

Eczema affects up to 20 percent of the population and its incidence is steadily increasing. Eczema is often difficult to treat because it is a multi-factorial disease with numerous causes and triggers.

One therapy that has gone in and out of favor is the use of antihistamines. Proponents argue about their benefit based on positive responses in many patients. Detractors argue that they don’t help everyone, and that all they are capable of doing is controlling the itch, not really healing the cause.

New research from the Medical University of Vienna is putting antihistamines back in the spotlight. Scientists there have discovered that persistent histamine levels in the skin tissue speed the growth of skin cells, thus contributing to the scaling and itching that are hallmarks of eczema.

Keeping the histamine receptors focused on skin cells blocked with a maintenance dose of antihistamine can prevent the cell growth stimulation.