11:50 AM CDT on Friday, July 29, 2005

By Dr. Karen Johnson / 11 News

Atopic eczema is an inflammatory skin condition that's called "the rash that itches." This eczema not caused by anything outside the body, but rather by an immune system that's not working properly.

Mason, 10, is the goalie on his soccer team at the Rice soccer camp.

"It itches a lot and it's really annoying to have it. It takes away some of my hobbies," he says.

Mason says it hurts when he bends his leg and he can't run as fast on the field.

Mason went to see an international expert on the condition, dermatologist Dr. Stephen Tyring Professor of Dermatology at Houston's UT Health Science Center.

"It's just all along the lower leg," Mason says to the doctor.

"Sometimes when the immune system in the skin isn't working right, it causes this rash. But it's not just in the skin in everybody, it's also in the lungs in some people, so when you have skin problems of eczema, sometimes you have the asthma. They go together," says Dr. Tyring.

For 50 years the most the most effective short-term treatment for the condition has been steroids, but they have side effects like thinning the skin. Newer medicines were then found to be effective.

"Elidel and Protopic are not steroids and therefore, we dermatologists think they're much safer than steroids," says Dr. Tyring.

In the meantime Mason will use a steroid cream for about a week on his leg, followed by one of the newer medicines.

"It would be really nice to have it gone," says Mason.

Dr. Tyring says as researchers learn more about why the immune system is functioning improperly, they will have to find better and safer treatments. But there is still no cure.

If you have atopic dermatitis and would like to volunteer for about investigational treatment at no cost, contact the Center for Clinical Studies at 713-528-8818 (Texas Medical Center Area) or 281-333-2288 (Clear Lake Area) .