Eczema history and symptoms

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

History

Given the many possible reasons for eczema flare-ups, a doctor is likely to ascertain a number of other things before making a diagnosis:

• An insight into family history
• Dietary habits
• Lifestyle habits
• Allergic tendencies
• Any prescribed drug intake
• Any chemical or material exposure at home or workplace

Symptoms

Because Eczema is a set of clinical characteristics and not a single disease, there are many different symptoms. All of them involve inflammation of the skin. The symptoms for the more common ones are:

Atopic Eczema

• Most common form, thought to be genetic and linked to asthma
• Itchy rash is particularly noticeable on head and scalp, neck, inside of elbows, behind knees, and buttocks.

Contact Dermatitis

• Allergic: delayed rash caused by an allergen (poison ivy, nickel, etc.)
• Irritant: direct reaction caused by an irritant (ex. types of detergent)

Xerotic Eczema

• Extremely cracked and dry skin that develops into a rash. More common in older population.

Seborrhoeic Dermatitis

• Closely related to dandruff. Dry or greasy peeling of scalp, eyebrows, face, and sometimes trunk.