What's your skin telling you?

Itchy, irritated, or inflamed skin is certainly no fun, but did you know that skin troubles could be related to other health problems?

In many cases, skin conditions are linked to processes occurring throughout the body, and this means they can become risk factors that set you up for other types of illness or injury, said Dr. Jonathan Silverberg, assistant professor of dermatology at Northwestern University. The connections are not something patients should ignore or overlook.

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Eczema Eczema is a chronic inflammatory condition known for causing red, itchy patches of skin, but its also been linked to sleep disturbances, joint problems, and other injuries. Silverberg was co-author of a JAMA Dermatology study published earlier this year that found that people with eczema whod experienced a flare-up in the last year were more likely than those without the condition to have experienced a bone or joint injury, like a fracture, as well.

Theres a well established association between eczema and sleep disturbances, as a result of its chronic itch, and patients who are sleep deprived are generally at higher rates of traumatic injuries like falls or automobile accidents, which might explain why they were more likely to experience a bone fracture, Silverberg said.

But its not just drowsiness from a lack of zzzs: If youre crossing the street and youre distracted by itchingor youre in a fog because youve taken a sedating antihistamine to treat that itchyoure going to be at higher risk for these types of things, Silverberg added.

On top of that, in severe cases, eczema is treated with oral steroids, which over time can affect bone density, possibly contributing further to the possibility of injury. Thankfully, Silverberg said that intermittent treatment with over-the-counter topical steroids, which is far more common, doesnt pose the same risks.

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Psoriasis An autoimmune disorder in which cells multiply too quickly and form shiny scales on the skins surface, psoriasis often occurs alongside arthritis or other joint diseases, in particular psoriatic arthritis.

Theyre all related to a common inflammatory pathway, Silverberg said. The good news is that a lot of the newer treatments that are remarkably effective for psoriasis also work well for psoriatic as well as rheumatoid arthritis.

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What's your skin telling you?