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Medical
Dermatology - Atopic Dermatitis
/ Eczema
Atopic
dermatitis is a very common,
and many times chronic skin
disease that affects many
people. It is also called
eczema, dermatitis, or atopy.
Most commonly, it may be
thought of as a type of skin
allergy or sensitivity. The
atopic dermatitis triad
includes asthma, allergies (hay
fever), and eczema. There is a
known hereditary component of
the disease, and it is seen
more in some families. The
hallmarks of the disease
include skin rashes and
itching.
The word "dermatitis" means
inflammation of the skin.
"Atopic" refers to diseases
that are hereditary, tend to
run in families, and often
occur together. In atopic
dermatitis, the skin becomes
extremely itchy and inflamed,
causing redness, swelling,
cracking, weeping, crusting,
and scaling. Dry skin is a very
common complaint and an
underlying cause of some of the
typical rash symptoms.
Atopic
Dermatitis and Eczema
Eczema is used as a general term
for many types of skin
inflammation (dermatitis) and
allergic-type skin rashes. There
are different types of eczema,
like allergic, contact,
irritant, and nummular eczema.
Several other forms have very
similar symptoms.
The diverse
types of eczema are listed and
briefly described below. Atopic
dermatitis is typically a more
specific set of three associated
conditions occurring in the same
person including eczema,
allergies, and asthma. Not every
component has to be present at
the same time, but usually these
patients are prone to all of
these three related conditions.
Types of
Eczema:
-
Contact
eczema
-
Allergic
contact eczema
-
Seborrheic eczema
-
Nummular
eczema
-
Neurodermatitis
-
Stasis
dermatitis
Is atopic
dermatitis contagious?
No. Atopic dermatitis itself
is definitely not contagious and
it cannot be passed from one
person to another through skin
contact. There is generally no
cause for concern in being
around someone with even an
active case of atopic
dermatitis, unless they have
active skin infections.
Diagnosing
Atopic Dermatitis / Eczema:
Atopic dermatitis is generally
easily diagnosed based on a
physical exam and visual
inspection of the skin by a
dermatologist. Additionally, the
history given by the patient and
contributory family history help
to support the diagnosis. Since
itching tends to be the main
common symptom of the disease
for many patients, it is not
possible to say all itching is
atopic dermatitis. Itching may
be seen in many other medical
conditions that have nothing to
do with eczema.
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