Living With Atopic Eczema

By Ainul Huda Mohamed Saaid

This is the first of two articles on atopic eczema. The first article highlights the experience of an atopic eczema patient and a mother whose daughter suffers the condition.

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama) -- It is estimated that one in five children under the age of five in Malaysia suffer from eczema, a skin condition that manifests as an itchy rash.

The condition is a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Symptoms include itch, reddish and flaky skin and in severe cases infected lesions.

OF SUICIDE AND HORSE URINE

Lee Mei Chieng from Petaling Jaya was born with atopic eczema. She went through her schooling being ridiculed and alienated just because she had 'ugly' skin.

Mei recalled how she was branded with bad names such as 'AIDS' and teased that she was shredding skins like snakes do. There was a lot of stigma and one of them is that the disease is contagious. The teachers were not much of a help due to the lack of awareness.

"I had no friends at all and became withdrawn and reserved. I would cry every morning when I wake up and before I sleep, thinking about having to go to school.

"The isolation and bullying became so bad that I developed clinical depression and was suicidal, and actually attempted suicide when I was about 12 years old," confessed Mei to Bernama recently.

Apart from the bullying she sometimes missed school due to flare-ups and seldom participates in PE (physical education) lesson because she cannot tolerate the sun's heat or sweat too much.

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Living With Atopic Eczema