People who suffer from allergies or eczema may face a higher risk of complications from surgery, studies have found.
Research presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology annual meeting last week showed patients with conditions such as asthma, hay fever and skin conditions caused by their allergies experienced a greater number of infections and were more likely to need further procedures.
In one study of 20,000 women who had breast reconstruction surgery following cancer, researchers found that those with eczema, dermatitis or other allergic skin conditions were more likely to have complications with their breast implants immediately after the procedure.
A follow-up after three years revealed that those with the conditions were also more likely to need additional surgeries.
‘People with eczema or similar skin conditions already have more sensitive skin and a higher level of inflammation,’ said Philong Nguyen, a researcher at the University of Texas, who ran the study.
‘That seems to make surgical healing more difficult and increases the chance of infection.’
Another study presented at the conference analysed 38,000 adults who had bone graft surgery. Those with conditions such as eczema, asthma, or hay fever had higher rates of infection, bone inflammation and higher levels of complications.
‘Even two years after their initial surgery, people with atopic [allergic] conditions were still more likely to have problems such as infection or implant loosening,’ said Joshua Wang, also a researcher at the University of Texas, who led the study on bone graft patients.
Studies have found that people who suffer from allergies or eczema may face a higher risk of complications from surgeryÂ
‘These results suggest that allergic conditions can affect the body’s ability to heal after surgery – not just in the skin, but in the bones as well.’
Some 44 per cent of people in Britain suffer from allergies while 20 per cent suffer from a skin condition.
Experts suggest the inflammation and immune system changes that come with these conditions could make it harder for the body to heal.
The researchers concluded that patients with these conditions should receive further follow up assessments after surgery.
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People with allergies or eczema may face a higher risk of complications from surgery