About 2.5 million French people are affected by eczema and, among them, 100,000 suffer from severe eczema. Eczema is the second most common skin disease after acne: this chronic pathology (which evolves by “attacks” or “flare-ups”) is the cause of around 30% of dermatology consultations.
There are mainly 3 types of eczema: atopic eczema caused by a genetic abnormality of the skin barrier, chronic hand eczema (CME) specifically affects the hands and fingers, while contact eczema corresponds to an allergic reaction. Apart from attacks, patients present with very dry skin; in times of crisis, we see the appearance of itchy red patches, pain, small pimples, edema…
For patients with eczema (about 6% of women and 3% of men in France), a question arises: is it possible to be vaccinated against Covid-19? “Yesanswers Pr. Marie-Aleth Richard, dermatologist at the University Hospital of Marseille (Hospital of the Timone). To date, no excess risk of adverse effects has been noted in patients suffering from eczema and vaccinated against Covid-19.“
Eczema and vaccine against Covid-19: there are no more side effects
Good news: according to the specialist, eczema would be “compatible” with messenger RNA Covid-19 vaccines (Pfizer / BioNtech, Moderna) as well as with viral vector vaccines (AstraZeneca, Janssen). “There’s nothing to be afraid of” insists Prof. Richard.
Is there a risk of interaction between Covid-19 vaccines and eczema medications? With regard to locally administered drugs (topical corticosteroid creams, for example), Prof. Richard is reassuring: “except in certain very specific cases, these drugs hardly pass into the general circulation, the risk of interaction with the vaccine is therefore extremely low“.
What about drugs used orally (systemic immunomodulatory treatments, for example)? “Efficacy studies of vaccines developed for Covid-19 unfortunately did not include patients on immunomodulatory treatment. But based on extrapolations from data from other vaccines, (…) [les médecins estiment] that certain immunomodulatory treatments can reduce the effectiveness of the vaccine, but do not cancel it. It therefore remains useful and beneficial to be vaccinated even when you are on immunomodulatory treatment.” answers theFrench Eczema Association. We can therefore make an appointment without worries!
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