Atopic Dermatitis

Medical Author: Alan Szeftel, MD, FCCP
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

• What is atopic dermatitis?
• What is the difference between atopic dermatitis and eczema?
• How common is atopic dermatitis?
• What causes atopic dermatitis?
• Is atopic dermatitis contagious?
• What are the symptoms of atopic dermatitis?
• Can atopic dermatitis affect the face?
• Is the sufferer's skin type important?
• What are the stages of atopic dermatitis?
• How is atopic dermatitis diagnosed?
• What factors can aggravate atopic dermatitis?
• What are skin irritants in patients with atopic dermatitis?
• What are allergens?
• What are aeroallergens?
• What other factors may play a role in atopic dermatitis?
• How is atopic dermatitis treated?
• What is the hope for long term management of atopic dermatitis?
• Atopic Dermatitis At A Glance
• Related eczema (atopic dermatitis) articles on WebMD:
  Eczema
  Dermatitis

Can Soaps or Detergents Aggravate Eczema or a Rash? Patients often come into my office frustrated, because they have changed their expensive soaps, detergents, fabric softener, shampoo, makeup, etc., yet their skin rash has not gone away. Their first question is, "Is this a rash, or eczema (dermatitis)?" There are many types of eczema. Atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, allergic contact eczema, etc. The signs and symptoms of eczema vary depending on the type of eczema. The skin can be red, itchy, appear as scaly patches on the body, or patches of skin may be crusted, scaling, and very itchy. So, can expensive soaps, detergents, make-up, fabric softeners, and fragrant soaps "cause" a rash, eczema, or aggravate an existing skin condition? Learn from Dr. Rockoff if products can cause a rash or eczema. »

What is atopic dermatitis?

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic (long-lasting) disease that affects the skin. The word "dermatitis" means inflammation of the skin. "Atopic" refers to diseases that are hereditary, tend to run in families, and often occur together. These diseases include asthma, hay fever, and atopic dermatitis. In atopic dermatitis, the skin becomes extremely itchy and inflamed, causing redness, swelling, cracking, weeping, crusting, and scaling.

Atopic dermatitis most often affects infants and young children, but it can continue into adulthood or first show up later in life. In most cases, there are periods of time when the disease is worse, called exacerbations or flares, which are followed by periods when the skin improves or clears up entirely, called remissions. Many children with atopic dermatitis enter into a permanent remission of the disease when they get older, although their skin often remains dry and easily irritated. Environmental factors can activate symptoms of atopic dermatitis at any time in the lives of individuals who have inherited the atopic disease trait.

What is the difference between atopic dermatitis and eczema?

Eczema is a general term for many types of skin inflammation (dermatitis). Atopic dermatitis is the most common of the many types of eczema. Several other forms have very similar symptoms. The diverse types of eczema are listed and briefly described below.

Types of Eczema

• Atopic dermatitis: a chronic skin disease characterized by itchy, inflamed skin
• Contact eczema: a localized reaction that includes redness, itching, and burning where the skin has come into contact with an allergen (an allergy-causing substance) or with an irritant such as an acid, a cleaning agent, or other chemical
• Allergic contact eczema: a red, itchy, weepy reaction where the skin has come into contact with a substance that the immune system recognizes as foreign, such as poison ivy or certain preservatives in creams and lotions
• Seborrheic eczema: a form of skin inflammation of unknown cause that presents as yellowish, oily, scaly patches of skin on the scalp, face, and occasionally other parts of the body
• Nummular eczema: coin-shaped patches of irritated skin-most commonly on the arms, back, buttocks, and lower legs-that may be crusted, scaling, and extremely itchy
• Neurodermatitis: scaly patches of skin on the head, lower legs, wrists, or forearms caused by a localized itch (such as an insect bite) that becomes intensely irritated when scratched
• Stasis dermatitis: a skin irritation on the lower legs, generally related to circulatory problems
• Dyshidrotic eczema: irritation of the skin on the palms of hands and soles of the feet characterized by clear, deep blisters that itch and burn

From the Doctors at MedicineNet.com

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