Atopic rhinitis and eczema are on the rise among children and teenagers, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.

Studying the patterns of relative patients between 1995 and 2010, the rhinitis showed a 1.3 times jump among children during the period and a 1.4 times rise among teenagers. Eczema also rose by up to 34.2 times among teenagers.

Atopic eczema often leads to lethargy and interferes with students’ academic careers as well as daily routines, the KCDC said.

The center said about 32.4 percent of children and 42.7 percent of teenagers showed allergic reactions to dust mites and that people needed to pay extra attention to them.

In order to improve the symptoms or prevent the disease, the authorities advised people to bathe in warm water for 20 minutes every day, and not scrub the skin while taking showers. They also advised applying lotion or other moisturizers twice a day within three minutes after a bath, wearing cotton clothes, controlling stress, maintaining steady temperatures and humidity indoors and visiting doctors regularly.

(baejisook@heraldcorp.com)