Tendency to being bitten by insects among patients with eczema and with other dermatoses

In order to ascertain whether patients with eczema are more prone to being bitten by insects than those with other dermatoses, data were collected by interview and questionnaire from 496 patients attending the outpatient department of a hospital in Sydney and a general dermatological practice in Geelong, Australia. Of the 93 patients with eczema 65% claimed they were prone to insect bite and that they were bitten in preference to other people when in a group, compared with 17% of the 403 patients with other chronic dermatoses. Similar proportions of both groups (approximately 50%) had used insect repellents. Excluding those with eczema 30% of the 149 patients with a family history of atopy claimed they were prone to being bitten by insects compared with 8% of the 254 patients without a family history of atopy. There was no difference in the prevalence of eczema or family history of atopy between men and women, but more women felt themselves to be susceptible to insect bites than men. There is evidence that patients with eczema and those with a family history of atopy are prone to being bitten by insects. Further confirmatory work, perhaps using volunteers and mosquitoes, is indicated. However, patients with severe eczema or a family history of atopy should take care when travelling to areas where disease-carrying insects are prevalent.