Eczema

Description

A chronic skin disorder characterized by red, itchy, cracked and rough skin, which can exacerbate any time. It can occur at any age and may be associated with other diseases i.e. asthma, hay fever, etc.

There are 7 types of eczema:

Atopic dermatitis - it is the most common type and usually occurs in childhood, associated with asthma and hay fever.
Contact dermatitis - caused due to touching a substance. Contact dermatitis can be classified as allergic contact dermatitis, an immune reaction due to contact with an allergic substance, and irritant contact dermatitis, it occurs when the skin is irritated by any chemical or substance.
Dyshidrotic eczema - it appears as itchy blisters on hands and feet.
Nummular eczema - it has a coin-shaped appearance.
Seborrheic dermatitis - an inflammatory condition of areas having sebaceous glands (oil-producing glands) that causes the skin to become itchy and flaky.
Stasis dermatitis - it occurs when fluid leaks out veins due to poor circulation.
Neurodermatitis - it causes thick scaly patches to appear on the skin

There is no permanent cure for eczema, only symptomatic treatment is done to relieve the symptoms.

Causes

There are various causes of eczema include:

Genetic factors,
A suppressed immune system,
environmental factors,
Contact with allergen or chemical e.g. bleach, detergent, latex, etc.
Stress,
Dry skin,
Fluid leakage from veins into the skin
Insect bite etc.

Risk factors

Following are some of the risk factors:

Family history of eczema,
allergies,
Asthma,
Hay fever,
Contact with chemicals,
Environmental irritants

Symptoms

Symptoms of eczema vary in every individual, these include:

Dry, itchy,
Red, scaly,
Swollen skin,
Blisters and cracks,
Open sores,
Rash

Diagnosis

Generally, doctors diagnose eczema by looking at the condition of the skin, taking proper history, and by doing a patch test for allergy.

Management

There’s no permanent cure for eczema, symptomatic treatment is done in order to relieve the symptoms and prevent future infections. Following measures are taken for the management of eczema:

Antihistamines for itching,
Corticosteroids to reduce inflammation,
Antibiotics to treat infections,
Topical immunomodulators are used to reduce the response of the immune system that causes exacerbations.
Light therapy for healing rash,
Moisturizing skin.