Eczema differential diagnosis

Eczema Microchapters
Home
Patient Information
Overview
Historical Perspective
Classification
Pathophysiology
Causes
Differentiating Eczema from other Diseases
Epidemiology and Demographics
Risk Factors
Screening
Natural History, Complications and Prognosis
Diagnosis
History and Symptoms
Physical Examination
Laboratory Findings
Other Diagnostic Studies
Treatment
Medical Therapy
Surgery
Primary Prevention
Secondary Prevention
Cost-Effectiveness of Therapy
Social Impact
Future or Investigational Therapies
Case Studies
Case #1
Eczema On the Web
Most recent articles
Most cited articles
Review articles
CME Programs
Powerpoint slides
Images
American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Eczema All Images X-rays Echo & Ultrasound CT Images MRI
Ongoing Trials at Clinical Trials.gov
US National Guidelines Clearinghouse
NICE Guidance
FDA on Eczema
CDC on Eczema
Eczema in the news
Blogs on Eczema
Directions to Hospitals Treating Eczema
Risk calculators and risk factors for Eczema

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1], Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Edzel Lorraine Co, D.M.D., M.D.

Overview

Several medical conditions can mimic eczema, with overlapping features. These conditions could be due to an inflammatory, infectious, immunodeficiency, or a nutritional deficiency problem. It is important to differentiate one from another to render proper medical treatment.

Differential Diagnosis

• Several medical conditions can mimic eczema, with overlapping features. These conditions could be due to an inflammation, neoplasm, immunodeficiency, or a nutritional deficiency problem.
• Table 1 summarizes these medical conditions, with their corresponding expected time of presentations.

Table 1. Differential Diagnosis of Eczema.

Type	Medical Condition	Manifestations	Expected Time of Presentation
Inflammatory	Psoriasis	Plaque with silvery scales.	Adolescence to adulthood.
	Viral Exanthem	Morbiliform rash	Infancy.
	Contact Dermatitis	Vesicular and pruritic.	Infancy.
Neoplastic	Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma	Eczematous patch. Resistant to topical steroids.	Adulthood.
Immunodeficiency	Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome	Recurrent infections, failure to thrive, and resistant to topical steroids.	Infancy.
	Netherton syndrome	Recurrent infections, failure to thrive, and resistant to topical steroids.	Infancy.
	Hyper IgE syndrome	Recurrent infections, failure to thrive, and resistant to topical steroids.	Infancy.
	DOCK8	Recurrent infections, failure to thrive, and resistant to topical steroids.	Infancy.
Nutritional Deficiency	Zinc	Weight loss.	Infancy to early childhood.
	Biotin	Failure to thrive.	Infancy to early childhood.